


What Could've Been

by 0608wolf



Series: The Stories of Gay Shinobi [1]
Category: Boruto: Naruto Next Generations, Naruto
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Ambiguous/Open Ending, Angst and Feels, Character Death, F/M, Fix-It of Sorts, Fluff and Angst, Hyuuga Neji Lives, Idiots in Love, M/M, Resurrection, Sassy Hyuuga Neji, SasuNaruSasu - Freeform, Slow Burn, Time Travel, Time Travel Fix-It
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-07-17
Updated: 2021-03-01
Packaged: 2021-03-05 06:14:47
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 32
Words: 36,493
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25346038
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/0608wolf/pseuds/0608wolf
Summary: Boruto's life is deteriorating right in front of his eyes. His parents don't love each other, his sister hates herself for something she didn't do, and even his friends were starting to avoid the reckless mess he'd become. Taking pity on him, Kurama agrees to send him back into time in an attempt to fix his father's mistakes. However, these kind of things almost never go the way you want them to.
Relationships: Dai-nana-han | Team 7 - Relationship, Gaara/Hyuuga Neji, Haruno Sakura & Uchiha Sasuke, Haruno Sakura & Uchiha Sasuke & Uzumaki Naruto, Hyuuga Hinata/Inuzuka Kiba, Uchiha Sasuke/Uzumaki Naruto
Series: The Stories of Gay Shinobi [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1907554
Comments: 94
Kudos: 294





	1. Chapter 1

"Boruto." Naruto's stern voice echoed across the room. "Care to explain what's going on? This is the 10th prank you pulled this week." 

Boruto opened his mouth to say something, but before he could, his mother cut him off. "You are a Shinobi now boruto. You can't go around acting like you did when you were an academy student."

"Plus," His father added, "You are now representing Konoha. You must be more aware of the consequences your actions bring." 

That was the last straw. All of the stressful feelings that Boruto had bottled up came spilling out, overflowing his mind with anger. 

"Me?" The boy chuckled. " _ I'm  _ the one who should be aware of the consequences? Ha. Big talk coming from the man who doesn't give a shit about the consequences of  _ his  _ actions."

"Boruto." Hinata cautioned. 

Before she could say anything else, Boruto continued. "And don't even think about telling me that you haven't noticed how our family is falling apart. Himawari is beating herself up because she thinks it's her fault that we are arguing."

"All my friends left me because I'm fucking depressed, and you two are so caught up in your own little world, you don't notice how much your own children are hurting. This family is broken, and it's all because you're too busy being miserable married to a woman you don't love, but are too scared to leave." 

Boruto huffed, out of breath. He looked up at his parents, taking in their shocked faces. In order to ensure that he had the last word, not that his parents were going to say anything anyways, he stomped up to his room and slammed the door.

Boruto collapsed on his bed. Finally he stood up to his parents. Yet he didn't feel half as satisfied as he thought he would.  _ Just serves to prove how fucked up our family really is.  _

~°~

Boruto was sitting in a chair, reading a book when he heard a knock on the door. "Hello? Boruto? Can I talk to you?"

Boruto groaned before reluctantly getting up and throwing his book on the bed.

He walked over to his bed then opened the door with a frown. Standing in the doorway, was his dad with his eyes sheepishly looking down. 

"What do you want." The blonde snapped. Sighing, Naruto put his hands in his pockets. "Listen, Boruto. I. . .I know I haven't been the best father, but I-" Naruto groaned at his inability to produce a sentence. "I don't know what to say- I'm speechless." 

Boruto glared at his father. "Ok, and? What's the real reason you came up here?"

Naruto opened his mouth before closing it again, deciding to leave things be for now. "Uh," the man rubbed the back of his head. "Kyuubi told me he wanted to talk to you. I don't know why."

The boy narrowed his eyes. What could Kyuubi want with him? "Ok?" 

Naruto stepped inside then closed the door behind him. He walked over to the bed and plopped down on it. Soon enough, red chakra swirled around him, and ocean eyes turned blood red.

Boruto's eyes widened. "K-kyuubi?"

A slight nod was all he got in return. 

A moment of silence passed, and Boruto nearly jumped when Kyuubi started talking. A deep, velvety voice boomed across the room. 

"Listen kit. I'm about to tell you something that will most likely change your whole life. I heard everything you screamed at your parents."

The boy gritted his teeth. Was the fox going to lecture him?

Noticing this, Kyuubi sighed. "I'm not going to scold you. In fact, I think you are right."

"Narutos been digging his own grave from the moment he agreed to date Hinata. As you can already tell, he doesn't love her."

"Then wha-"

Kyuubi held out a hand for him to stop. "Let me finish. As of right now, your father cannot hear the conversation we are having. I have sealed him into a mindscape so we can talk uninterrupted."

"I also came to you with an offer. One that your father will most likely disagree with."

Boruto cocked his head, pursing his lips. "Continue."

"There is a forbidden jutsu that only I know of. When I had first found it, I used it to erase everyone's memory of it except myself in order to prevent it from falling into the wrong hands."

Kyuubi looked up at Boruto almost expectantly. "Your father has made many mistakes in his life. In this world, it's impossible to make amends without causing irreversible damage."

"What are you suggesting?"

"The jutsu I am about to give you will allow you to travel back in time, though there are many limitations that you must be aware of beforehand."

Boruto widened his eyes, shocked. Was the fox really suggesting that he try to change the past?

Blinking out of the haze he was in, Boruto wasted no time. "What are the limitations?"

Kyuubi raised an eyebrow. "Will you accept the mission?"

Hastily, the blonde replied with a yes.

"Alright then. Rule number one: you are only allowed to be in the past for two years. Once those years are up you will die and be sent back to this time. Rule number two: your actions have consequences that could result in people dying, or never being born in the first place, including you." 

Boruto nodded, soaking up this information. "What else?"

"If you do still exist in this world when you come back, keep in mind that people you interacted with will remember you, but only you, me and one other person will have memories of the life before you changed it. Noone else but us three can know about this."

"Who is the one other person?"

Wordlessly, Kyuubi pulled out a bottle out of thin air, handing it to Boruto. "Here. I invented this a while ago." The boy took the bottle silently, admiring as the liquid inside changed colors.

"Whoever drinks this bottle will automatically remember everything that they had forgotten when you time traveled. It is useful if you need someone's help and they don't believe you. I only have one, so use it wisely, and don't tell anyone you are from the future, got it?"

Boruto nodded, still entranced by the potion. "Alright then, are you ready? Your father is getting impatient and we need to send you off before he can stop you."

Boruto nodded once again and watched as the Kyuubi went through a number of handsigns. "Are you ready? I'll be sending you to the time when your father was about twelve."

Before the boy could nod he felt a tug on his chest, knocking the air out of him. "I'm almost finished, just a l-" The fox gasped as Naruto took back control.

The man gazed at his son, shocked, and tried to grab him before he got tugged into the past. Boruto gasped as he felt a sharp yank and then nothing.

**Here, the adventure begins.**


	2. Chapter 2

Groaning, a certain blonde haired boy woke with a start. "Shit. What happened?" The boy reached a hand to his throbbing forehead and tried to make sense of the recent events.

_ That's right, some weird ass jutsu sent me back in time. _

Boruto sat up quickly, ignoring the protest of pain his head gave him. Eyes flitting around, he took in his surroundings.

He was sitting on a soft bed with white sheets, and recognized the room he was in to be from a hospital. 

_ Kyuubi said I should be in a time where dad is twelve. But there's always a chance something went wrong, especially since dad interfered before Kyuubi could finish the jutsu. I should be on my guard. _

Blue eyes snapped to the door when it opened, revealing a young adult with bright pink hair and a smile on her face.

"Ah! Hey you're up!" The stranger walked over to the bed. As she got closer, Boruto recognized her to be Sarada's mom, Sakura.  _ She doesn't look twelve. I was right. Dad must have messed up the jutsu. _

"Um, so what's your name?" Sakura asked, bringing Boruto out of his thoughts.

Without thinking, Boruto told her his real name, only just realizing his mistake. 

"A-ah. Boruto. It's a nice name. I'm Sakura... " The girl was blushing! His eyes widened at this realization. A  _ nineteen year old Sakura _ was  _ blushing _ at him.  _ Is she into younger guys or something? _

_ Unless. . . _ "Hey, do you know where the bathroom is?" 

She nodded and pointed to the doorway. "Go straight, then take a right. You'll find a bathroom there."

"Ok thanks." As soon as the door was closed safely behind him, Boruto all but ran to the bathroom.

When he got there, he took one look into the mirror and gasped. Standing there, was a tall, muscular stranger with deep ocean blue eyes and blonde locks framing his face perfectly. 

Boruto gasped and reached a hand to his face. "Whoa." 

_ Damn. Kudos to Kyuubi for doing this. Not only do I look 18, I look  _ hot _. No wonder Sarada's mom was blushing. _

After a few minutes of standing there admiring his face, he decided it would be best to get back to the room. 

_ Sarada's mom was a nurse at this age, right? I better get back before she starts worrying. _

Boruto exited the restroom and proceeded to head back to the room. When he got there, Sakura was talking quietly with a tall blonde lady.

The boy knocked on the door, and then cautiously took a step forward. "Hello? Um, I'm back." 

Sakura looked up, startled, then giggled when she saw Boruto's face. 

"Hi! We were just talking about how you are free to go!"

"Ah, great, but can you tell me how I got here?"

Sakura blinked, then smiled at him. "You don't remember anything?"

He shook his head. "No, nothing."

_ It'll be easier to pretend I have no idea who I am then pretend to a random stranger. Plus, they'll trust me a bit more this way.  _

"Well, I found you in the middle of the woods. No injuries or anything. You were just unconscious."

"Did I have anything on me when I was found?"

"Just one item."

Sakura walked over to a small cabinet in the corner of a room and took out a tiny bottle filled with a color changing liquid.

She grabbed it and held it out to Boruto. "It doesn't seem like it's dangerous or anything, so you can have it back."

Determined to play the role of a clueless guy as long as possible, Boruto narrowed his eyes, feigning confusion. "Why is it changing colors?"

Sakura furrowed her brows, studying the tiny bottle. "No idea."

Boruto nodded and placed the bottle in the pocket of his pants, placing a chakra barrier around it to keep it safe. 

"So, um, where do I go? Can I stay here in K- your village?"  _ Shoot I almost said Konoha. I should be more careful from now on. _

"You can stay for a few days, but if you want to stay permanently, you'll have to talk to the hokage about it." 

"Ah, ok. Where will I be staying?" 

"There's a guy who volunteered to let you stay at his place. His name is Naruto Uzumaki."

_. . .well shit. _


	3. Chapter 3

Boruto paced back and forth in front of a door. The door that led to where he would meet his dad. Well, not his dad  _ yet,  _ but still.

Finally, the boy sighed and stood up straight in an attempt to gather his thoughts. Hesitantly, he reached for the handle of the door, only to have it yanked open before it could touch it.

Startled, Boruto looked up, only to see his dad. Well, at least he thought it was his dad. The young adult had crazy hair all spiked up in different directions, and a huge smile on his face.

_ I don't think I've ever seen dad smile like that. He's usually too tired to even try. I guess, it's nice to see him like this. _

That's thought reminded him of all that he had left behind, and his mission to change the past, and his future.

Knowing this, he composed himself once more, opting to greet the small ball of sunshine.

"Hi, I'm Boruto." 

"Naruto Uzumaki! I understand that you'll be staying with us for the next few days?"

"Yes, and um, we?"

The blonde teen blinked his eyes, seemingly surprised at the question.

"Sakura didn't tell you? I have a roommate." Boruto tilted his head, which Naruto counted as an invitation to continue. 

"Well, not a roommate as much as a housemate. Speaking of him, he sorta doesn't really _ know _ that I volunteered for you to stay at his house, so be prepared for a bit of a screaming fit when we get there."

_ Since when was dad this talkative? _

"Ok, so uh, I already took care of everything here, so we can either go home, or explore Konoha. What do you want to do?"

"Uh…" Boruto blinked at the overenthusiastic teen that was supposed to be his usually boring father.

"I'm not sure, but I guess I'd like to see where I'll be staying?"

"Fine with me!" 

~°~

_ How did I get here? _

Boruto was at the moment, sitting on the couch with a cup of tea in his hands, courtesies of Naruto, and listening to two teens bickering like there was no tomorrow.

The blonde was trying really hard to not listen to the two argue, but every once in a while some screaming slipped into his ears.

"WTF NARUTO. WE DON'T WANT OR NEED ANOTHER ROOMMATE. JUST YOU IS BAD ENOUGH!"

"EHH??? BASTARD! HE HAS NOWHERE TO GO! HAVE A HEART FOR ONCE WON'T YOU?"

Yup, they sounded just like a married couple, and was in turn making Boruto extremely uncomfortable.

_ Is this what Sarada feels like? I remember her telling me that her parents fight a lot. _

Having enough of the screaming, Boruto slammed his now empty cup on the coffee table in front of him. Two very pissed off heads snapped toward him at once.

Suddenly sweating again, Boruto tried not to stutter. "Uh, can I see my room? I mean, I'm already here, so."

Naruto grinned at him, "Of course! In fact, Sasuke will show you where it is,  _ right? _ "

The Uchiha rolled his eyes and muttered, "You owe me dobe."

He walked over to Boruto, looked him up and down, which was incredibly uncomfortable, and then silently walked away.

Confused, Boruto looked to his father for help. Noticing this, Naruto whisper-yelled at him. "You're supposed to follow him."

The boy nodded and hurriedly caught up to the ravenhead.

"So, uh-" 

"These are the guest rooms. Choose one and be done with it." Sasuke interrupted him.

"Oh, uh ok."  _ Geez, uncle Sasuke was really hostile as a teen. Well then again, he wasn't much better as an adult. _

Boruto sighed and walked into a random room, claiming it as his. 

The room was simple, but had a dark theme to it.  _ Well, I suppose that’s Uncle Sasuke for you.  _ Boruto climbed onto the bed with dark blue sheets, admiring how soft it was. Within moments, he had fallen asleep.

“Boruto. HEY!!”

“Borruuutoooooooooo.”

“BORUTO!”

Boruto nearly jumped out of bed. Sitting up quickly, he noticed Naruto’s face right next to him. “W- wha?” 

The teen giggled. “You sure fall asleep easily! What if I had come to kill you?”   
  
Boruto frowned. “I didn't sense any murderous intent.”

“Fair enough. Hey, get up. Sasuke wants to show you around.” 

Eyes widening, Boruto replied disbelievingly. “He does?”

“Well, technically I told him that if he didn’t I would give his fangirls a key to the house. It worked.”

Boruto sighed. “Ok then. I guess I’ll just go then.” 

“Sasugay is waiting for you outside. If you want your arm intact, I’d suggest you don't make him wait.”

“Ah, ok.” Boruto squirmed a bit, not sure if he would ever get used to his father being so carefree, yet with a dangerous aura that hovering around him.

After taking a moment to compose himself, Boruto quickly rushed out the door, running into a certain ravenhead boy. Startled, Boruto looked up at him, marveling at how tall he was.

“Eep! Sorry Unc- I mean Sasuke!”  _ Shit why am I so clumsy?  _ Sasuke just let out a grunt of annoyance before walking away, which Boruto took as a cue to follow him. 

The duo walked out of the house together, Sasuke walking just a bit faster than usual. Noone made a move to talk, so the blonde decided to settle on observing his surroundings.

_ Everything looks just about the same. I guess that would make sense, since I'm in a timezone after the war. _

Before he could finish that thought, he felt a hand clamp over his mouth and drag him into an alleyway before abruptly letting him go. “Yo what the fuck?”

Boruto felt himself being turned around and pinned against the wall. When he opened his eyes again, he found himself face to face with Sasuke Uchiha.

_ This scene seems a bit familiar. Oh yeah, wasn’t it from one of those comics I caught a girl reading? Never once imagined it would happen to me though. _

“Let me make myself clear.” Sasuke said sternly. “I do not trust you. I believe you have ulterior motives, and while I can't tell if you mean good or harm, I'm not willing to take the risk. This is a warning, Boruto. Do not mess with us.” 

With that, Sasuke turned around and walked away, calling over his shoulder, “I will be watching you Boruto.”

A moment of silence passed as Boruto processed what had just happened.  _ That. . .was. . . _ ”SO COOL!” 

_ Uncle Sasuke is so freaking amazing! _


	4. Chapter 4

Boruto sighed on his way to the Uchiha compound. _Kyuubi told me he was going to send me back into the past, where my parents were only twelve. I’m guessing he would have wanted me to prevent Uncle Sasuke from leaving. Only, I can’t do that anymore, because he’d already left and come back!_

 _What the hell am I even supposed to do? I haven’t a clue on how to fix the future, or make anyone happier. Hell, they seem happy enough right now, so what the hell can_ I _do?_

Boruto sighed again, feeling useless.

**_“Rule number two: your actions have consequences that could result in people dying, or never being born in the first place, including you."_ **

Thinking back on Kyuubi’s words, Boruto wondered if it would be better to do nothing at all. _After all, I don't think I could live with myself if I had accidentally erased Sarada or Mitsuki from existence._

_But if I do nothing, then everyone will be just as miserable as they were before. Or not. Just my being here could totally rewrite history._

Boruto frowned as he approached the Uchiha’s house. “My brain hurts just from thinking about this.”

“Thinking about what?”

The blonde whipped his head around, meeting face to face with a grinning Naruto. “ARGH! You…”

Naruto grinned and waved at him. “Hello to you too!”

“What were you thinking about to get you all spaced out?”

“Nothing.” Boruto replied quickly. “Just about how I’m going to talk to the hokage about registering as a Konoha nin.”

“Oh really?” Naruto beamed. “That’s great! In fact, until you get settled, you can stay here with Sasuke and me!”

“That might not be the best idea…” Boruto mumbled, looking away.

If Naruto had heard the boy’s statement, he didn’t show it, instead choosing to continue talking. “Speaking of Sasuke, we are going out to get some ramen with the gang tonight! Do you wanna come? Since, ya know, you might become a Konoha nin anyways.”

“Uh, sure.” Boruto blinked. “What time?”

“Nine thirty. We’ll be meeting at Ichiraku’s. Don't be late!”

Naruto grinned again at him. “Alright, well that’s all I wanted to tell you. Bye!”

“And good luck with Tsunade!” Naruto laughed, already running away.

“Well, that was weird.” Boruto smiled to himself as he let himself into the house, pleased it was unlocked, since he doesn't have a key.

“Geez, this place is seriously huge! Sarada actually lives here? I wonder why she’s never invited me over.”

Boruto kicked off his shoes and walked to his room. Or at least, the direction he thought his room was in.

~°~

“Naruto, are you sure it’s ok to leave him in the house alone?”

“Chill Sasuke. It’s not like he’s gonna burn the house down or anything.”

“Well, excuse me for worrying. It’s not my fault that I’m just a _bit_ anxious because he’s a total stranger.”

Naruto sighed. “Can we talk about something else?”

Sasuke rolled his eyes. “Fine, whatever. But if anything happens to something of mine, you’re the one I’ll be after.”

The two sat in a comfortable silence, listening to the soothing sounds of the riverbank.

“Sakura asked me out again.”

Naruto giggled. “Again? How many times has it been now? I thought she’d gotten over you already.”

The raven looked at the blonde, staring him straight in the eye. “I said yes.”

“W-what? I-I mean congratulations! I’m happy for you! Heh, I’m guessing Sakura was happy about that. Hey, um, I should probably check on Boruto!”

Sasuke furrowed his brows. “What about training?”

Naruto grinned widely, trying to hide his eyes as they watered up. “You train by yourself! In fact, I think I’ll train with Boruto. You know, get to know him a little.”

With that, Naruto left the raven behind, tears dropping once he reached a safe place to cry.

Naruto leaned against a tree, sliding down to the ground. “Shit Sasuke. Why?” His voice cracked, and he finally let himself cry, sobbing in the safety of the forest.

A few minutes passed, and his tears had run dry. Now the teen lay against the tree, face red and tear streaked, counting the clouds.

"Da- Naruto? Are you ok?"

The blonde's head jerked up to the sound of the voice, and immediately stood up, trying to wipe the already dry tears from his face.

"B- Boruto! What are you doing here?"

"Ah, I was just taking a walk when I heard someone crying. Are you ok?"

Naruto quieted, looking down at the ground. Somehow, he couldn't bring himself to lie to him.

"Do... you want to talk about it?"

Naruto could feel tears welling up in his eyes again as he gave in with a nod. He watched as Boruto sat down and patted the grass on the ground next to him. 


	5. Chapter 5

Boruto waited and watched as Naruto rather hesitantly took a seat next to him. He studied his dad’s face, wondering what had happened.

_ Geez, I didn’t know that it was possible for dad to cry. I only ever saw two emotions on him, he was always either faking a smile, or tired. I wonder what had gotten him so rattled up like this. _

After a long moment of silence, Naruto spoke up. “You’re a total stranger. Should I even be telling you this?”

Boruto shrugged, leaning back on his hands so he could gaze at the clouds. “Probably not. I don’t really know you so technically I cant judge you.”  _ That was only partially a lie. _

“But you can.” The boy murmured, drawing his knees up to his chest. “Everyone else judges me without knowing me, so what makes you any different?”

“Nothing. You’ll just have to take my word for it.” 

This makes Naruto frown. “It would be a lot easier if you knew where you had come from. Then I could confide in you and never have to see you again.”

Boruto looked to the side sheepishly. “Er, right.”

The teen scooted around so he was facing the boy. “Have you ever liked someone?”

Boruto turned around so that he and his father were face to face. “Of course. I have many fri-”

“No, that’s not what I mean. I mean like..." Naruto smiled to himself. "I mean like if there was someone that you loved. Someone who's not your blood, but you know that you would go to the ends of the earth for them anyways."

Boruto frowned, thinking.  _ I love a lot of people. My friends, mom, you, though you can be a jerk sometimes… I can’t think of anyone I would give up everything for. That is everyone except-  _ Boruto shook his head.  _ Now’s not the time to think about this.  _

When the boy turned back towards Naruto, the teen looked upset. “Not everyone has someone that they would do that for, I understand. I’m pretty sure my best friend doesn't have anyone like that.” Naruto laughed, then paused a shadow crossing his face. “Or at least he didn’t use to.”

Something clicked inside Boruto, and he finally understood why his father(to be) was upset. “You’re in love.”

“Yup. And it’s killing me slowly.”

“Did they reject you?”

Naruto shook his head. “They are in love with someone else.”

“Oh.”

“...”

“...”

“Who is it?”

The spiky haired boy laughed. “I’m not telling you!”  _ I’m pretty sure I already know. _

“Is it Hinata?”

Naruto turned to him, disbelief on his face. “What? No! Where’d you get that idea? And how do you even know who she is?”

Boruto grinned. “I saw her staring at you before she ran off because some girl called her name. Andare you sure it’s not her? You got awfully defensive a while ago.”

“Pfft- no way! Hinata’s like a sister to me.” Naruto sighed. “You know Boruto, you really have a way of lowering people’s defenses. It kinda reminds me of me.”

“Ahahaha, yea I guess…”  _ Right, reminds you of you. I wonder why that is, haha. Ha. _

“Anyways what are you going to do about it?”

Naruto looked up, surprised. “Nothing. I’m going to let them be together. I don’t want to be in the way of someone else's happiness.”

Abruptly, Boruto stood up. He placed himself right in front of Naruto and glared at the boy. “So you’re just going to give up? No way! The Naruto I know would never do that. He may be a lot of things, but he is not a quitter!”

Realizing his mistake, Boruto grinned and rubbed the back of his head. “I mean, at least that’s what I got out of hanging out with you. You uh, don’t seem like the type of person to let go of something without a fight.”

“Heh.”

Boruto met his father’s gaze. “W-what is it?” 

Naruto beamed at him. “Nothing. I just never thought that someone besides myself will say those words.” The teen stood up and smiled softly at him. “Thank you for this Boruto, but I can’t. Some things in this life are worth not fighting for.”

Boruto watched as his dad walked away, stunned by the words his father had spoken to him. Trying to collect his thoughts, the boy leaned against a tree, bringing a hand up to his forehead. Softly, he whispered, “I don’t understand.”  _ If you want something, you should fight for it. That’s what you taught me, dad. _

  
  



	6. Chapter 6

“Sasuke~”

Sasuke flinched at the voice before turning around to meet his teammate. He gave the girl a slight nod. “Sakura. It’s good to see you.”

Sakura giggled. “You’re so funny Sasuke! Anyway, I thought we could go out to eat together! You know, since we’re  _ dating _ now.”

“Of course. Just let me finish up my training. I have a few jutsus I would like to perfect.”

Sakura sighed, frowning at her boyfriend. “You work too hard. Anyways, that’s fine.” Sakura glanced around once more, furrowing her eyebrows when she didn’t find what she was looking for. Before she could open her mouth to speak, the raven beat her to it. 

“I don’t know where Naruto is. He ran off when I told him we were dating.” Sakura blinked once, before a concerned look appeared on her face. “Oh?” 

“You think he might be jealous?”

Sasuke narrowed his eyes at her. “I hope not. I wouldn’t want him to feel bad.”

“Right, right. I’ll get out of your hair now.” With that, Sakura flounced away, throwing a “Dinner at 6, don’t be late!” over her shoulder.

The raven sighed, and went back to his training. It wasn’t long before he was interrupted again though. “So, your little boyfriend ran away?” Sasuke snapped his head up, groaning when he saw a certain long haired boy. 

“Neji.” Sasuke growled. 

**~Yes, Neji, cause he is never gonna die, not in my fanfic! Also cause he’s one of the many, many plot changes in my story.~**

Neji grinned. “So, what’s up with you and Strawberry there? I didn’t take you for the cheating type.”

Sasuke sighed, putting up his weapons and dropping to the ground. By now, he’d given up on trying to train. “For the last time, Naruto and I are just friends. In fact, I’m dating Sakura now.”

Neji widened his eyes. “Sasuke, you do know I was joking when I said you were grumpy and needed to get a girlfriend right?”

Groaning, Sasuke snapped at the shorter male. “Why the hell do you insist on talking to me?”

Neji put a hand over his heart, faking hurt. “Why Sasuke, I thought we were friends!”

“You know, you really became a sarcastic bastard after your near death experience.”

The boy shrugged, moving over to lean on a tree. “You know, that wasn’t a no…”

Sasuke threw a kunai at him. “I hate you.” He glared at him.

“Sure, whatever you say.” 

**Sometime after the War:**

_ Sasuke was sitting on a cliff at the edge of Konoha, letting his legs dangle in the air. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath, welcoming the silence, however short lasted it was.  _

_ As the raven heard footsteps behind him, his guard was immediately raised, not budging when he recognized the chakra signature to be a boy he had tried to kill. _

_ Sasuke sighed. “What do you want? If you’re here to get your revenge, just know that I’m not afraid of death, so killing me won't do any good.” _

_ The raven frowned, surprised when he heard a snort escape the boy behind him. “Don’t worry, I’m not here to kill you.”  _

_ “Back from Suna so soon? I’d have thought you would stay sooner considering how you were eying that redhead.”  _

_ Sasuke could almost hear Neji frown behind him. “Wow, you have no filter whatsoever. I almost feel bad for Naruto.” _

_ A shuffling noise was heard as the long haired boy sat himself down next to the raven, wasting no time in making himself comfortable. “For your information, brat, the only reason I’m interested in him is because he’s really strong, not to mention a kage.” _

_ When Sasuke didn’t respond, Neji continued. “Besides, you should be grateful I’m even talking to you. You did, after all, almost kill me.” _

_ “Why are you? Talking to me, that is.” _

_ Neji frowned, and turned towards the sky, admiring the sunset. “I don’t know. Something inside of me is pulling me towards you.” _

**Present:**

Neji moved from his spot on the tree and moved to sit next to Sasuke, plopping down onto the grass. “So anyways, why are you with Sakura? Last time I checked, which was a few seconds ago, you were into guys, or, well, anyone whose name starts with  _ Naruto. _ What changed?”

Sasuke dropped his head into his hands, groaning loudly. “I should never have confided in you.” 

“No, you shouldn’t have.” Neji affirmed with a grin. “But you did, and I will never let you live it down.”

Sasuke sighed and threw himself back onto the grass, letting the grass tickle the side of his face. “I need to revive my clan, and Sakura offered to help.”

“Woah, seriously? This shit again? You know you’re not responsible for the Uchiha clan, right?”

Sasuke shot the boy a glare. “So what do you want me to do? Sit back and let the sharingan perish?”

Neji groaned. “No, that’s not what I mean, and you know it! I just-” The teen suddenly grew quiet. 

Sensing his alarm, the raven fell silent as well. Less than a few seconds later, a certain pink haired medic nin skipped towards the two boys. “Sasuke~ let’s go!”

“I thought you said six.”

“I did.”

Given no other explanation, Sasuke let himself be dragged away, throwing a slightly apologetic glance at Neji. 

Neji just sighed, and turned back to the clouds. “Shikamaru was right. Team 7 sure is troublesome.”


	7. Chapter 7

Boruto wandered the streets of Konoha, taking in the familiarity of it all. Nothing much has changed since his time, just a few things here and there. And, of course, the absence of his father's face on Hokage Rock. But that was to be expected. Things are always changing. The only problem is, things from the past should’ve stayed the same.

_Father is in love with someone other than mom. Huh. I would say that it was a surprise, but for some reason I’ve been expecting it. After all, dad never really got that starry-eyed look that mom got when she looked at him._

Boruto sighed, approaching the guards outside the building. “Uh, hi! I would like to see the hokage please?”

The two shinobi looked at each other before turning back to the stranger. “What do you need her f-” 

A woman’s voice cut him off. “Nah, don’t worry. I know who he is and why he’s here.” A rather familiar blonde woman stepped out from under the shadows. Boruto lightly sucked in his breath when he saw her. Letting it out in a rush, he said, “You’re the woman from the hospital.”

“Yes, I am. And I assume that you are here to discuss what was briefly mentioned when you woke up?”

Boruto nodded, keeping his eyes on the floor. Something about this woman was … familiar, to say the least.

“Uh yeah. I take it you’re the hokage?”

“You are correct. Now, let's talk about this in my office.” The woman slightly smirked before turning away, her shoe’s clacking on the floor. _Those must be terrible for stealth missions._

Boruto followed the strange woman into a hall, where she entered a rather large door. Stepping inside, she held the door open for Boruto, then abruptly slamming it shut once Boruto had entered. 

Wandering around, Boruto quietly took notice of the room around him. There were a couple of chairs lying around, complete with a desk in the far end of the room. Said desk was littered with papers, pens, and empty glass bottles, which looked a lot like booze. 

Upon seeing the glass bottles, Boruto remembered why the woman seemed so familiar. “Grandma Tsunade!” He exclaimed, clapping his hands together. 

“What did you call me brat?” _Uh oh._ Boruto turned around to meet a pissed off (and extremely powerful) kunoichi. “Is what Naruto called you?” He added carefully to his sentence.

Thankfully the blonde decided to drop it, instead opting to pinch the bridge of her nose. “That damn brat. I told him not to call me that in public. Nevermind.” Tsunade walked over and plopped down into her chair, swinging her legs up so that they rested on the table. 

“Just fill out a stupid form. You’ll be put on a trial period, yada yada, some tests, yada yada, and then boom, official shinobi.” 

“Um, come again?”

Tsunade rolled her eyes. “Just fill out a form and then you’ll be able to go on missions and earn money. You’ll be working with Naruto. Partly so he can keep an eye on you and partly so he’ll stay out of my hair.”

“Er, ok?”

A crumpled up piece of paper hit Boruto straight in the forehead. “Take that and leave. Turn it in tomorrow or something. Oh god, I need a drink.” Tsunade muttered the last part.

Not knowing what to say, the boy picked up the piece of paper and left.

~°~

Boruto arrived at the Uchiha mansion, which was quiet without the sound of the two boys having a lovers spat. When he opened the door, he was greeted with the sight of Sasuke and Sakura on the couch, with Sakura asleep on Sasuke’s shoulder, and Sasuke looking absolutely repulsed by that fact.

The raven lazily turned an eye towards Boruto, who grinned and walked up to his room, pausing at Naruto’s door. “Hey, Naruto, you in there?”

“Boruto? Come in!”

Hesitantly, Boruto turned the handle, surprised when he was greeted with the sight of a tear streaked Naruto.

“What’s wrong da- Naruto?” Boruto asked as he stepped into the room, slowly closing the door behind him.


	8. Chapter 8

Naruto started trembling at the sight of Boruto standing in his room. The man rushed over and immediately engulfed the blonde in a hug. Naruto wrapped his arms around Boruto’s shoulders and buried his head in his neck, all the while sniffling. After a while, he pulled back, guiltily staring at Boruto’s now snot ridden shirt. 

Naruto sighed, and gestured to the soaked area near Boruto’s neck. “I- I’m sorry.” Surprised, the boy sheepishly scratched the back of his neck. “Oh this? It’s no problem. Um.” Boruto hesitantly glanced at the other man. “Are you ok?”

“Huh?” His father looked up at him. “Ah no, um. Ha.” Naruto breathed out shaky laughter. “I’m sorry, you are just the only person besides Shika that knows about the person that I’m in love with, but that’s only because it’s impossible to hide anything from Shika, and even though usually I would go talk to him about this, he’s not here, and you are, and so you’re technically the only person that I can turn to for comfort, and I just- oh god, I’m rambling again and I-” Another sob shook his body.

Boruto stared at his dad before grabbing his arm, leading him to a dull orange colored bed. Slowly, he eased Naruto onto it, lying him down, before snuggling into the comforter himself. Tentatively, he wrapped his arms around the blonde’s torso, not sure if he was going too far. When Naruto’s only response was a sleep deprived hum, Boruto relaxed into the other man.

After a few minutes, Naruto was finally asleep, and his son was left alone with his thoughts.  _ I’m one of the first people dad told about his crush? I wonder why he trusts me enough to tell me something that he didn’t even tell Uncle Kiba, or one of his other friends at this time. According to Uncle Sasuke, Dad was quite popular as a teen.  _ Boruto sighed, snuggling further into his father's chest.

_ If only I knew who it was, then maybe I could at least try to help. Maybe tomorrow I’ll ask him.  _ Boruto yawned, feeling his mind getting pulled away to dreamworld.  _ Yea, that’s what I’ll do.  _ Soon enough the only thing that could be heard in the room was snoring, which did not go unnoticed by Sasuke.

Sasuke frowned from his bed in his room. The dobe was being loud again. Sighing, the raven reluctantly got out from under the warmth of his covers. He had just recently gotten Sakura to leave and was exhausted. He trudged out of his room and down the hallway, pausing at Naruto’s door. Sasuke knocked on the door loudly, trying to get the blonde teen’s attention. When there was no answer, Sasuke frowned, and silently nudged the door open.

What he saw was two adorable blonde fluffs cuddling, with their arms wrapped around each other and their legs entangled. Shocked, the raven froze, all his fatigue suddenly fading away. Many thoughts ran through his head, the main one being,  _ When the HELL did those two get so close?  _

Unsure of why he was so upset about his blo-  _ Naruto  _ being close to someone else, Sasuke hastily closed the door and stormed off, forgetting why he was there in the first place. Instead of heading back to his room, the raven haired teen snatched up a dark blue coat and stepped outside. The air felt cool on his pale skin. Shivering, Sasuke headed towards the forest. Deep inside, there was a small clearing where he liked to take a nap sometimes. 

Approaching it, the teen stopped and took a deep breath before observing his surroundings. It wasn’t too small, and it was hidden well enough for someone passing by to not give a second thought to it. Only a tiny prickle of light shone through the branches of the trees, enough to barely see the dimly lit area. Plus, Sasuke’s favorite thing about it, if you climb high enough on the tallest tree, you can watch the sunset on a comfortable branch.

Sasuke grinned, this was definitely his favorite place in the village. Or, it was, until a certain annoying brunette found and contaminated it. Just his luck that said brunette was also here, resting on one of the trunks of the trees in  _ his  _ clearing. 

Scowling, Sasuke snapped at Neji. “What the hell do you think you are doing here?” He walked over to a small patch of flowers and lay down, moving his arms so that they rested underneath his head. Neji knew this action meant the teen trusted him, and didn't actually mind his presence. He replied with a grin, “Having boyfriend problems, Sasuke? What happened this time, he cheated?”

Sasuke frowned. “I do not have boyfriend problems. Hell, I don't have a boyfriend!” The long haired teen raised an eyebrow. “Oh? You must really want one then.” The raven turned his head away. 

Neji sighed. “That sounds like a yes to me. Listen dude, you only ever come here when you are having problems with Naruto.” Sasuke warily eyed Neji. “How the hell do you know that? Are you a stalker or something?” The other boy shrugged and walked towards the ravenhead. Sasuke noticed, but didn’t say anything. Neji sat down on the ground near Sasuke’s head with a small  _ thump _ . A moment a silence passed before Neji spoke again.

“Is it because of that blonde that’s been hanging around Naruto a lot lately? Boruto, I think he was called.” Sasuke scowled, and the other teen knew he’d hit the mark. Any second now, Sasuke would start complaining, and more importantly, opening up.

“I just don’t get why Naruto’s been talking to him so much! I mean, we have no idea who he is, where he came from, what his intentions are, and yet Naruto has decided to act all buddy buddy with him anyways. Shit, that idiot is going to get himself killed with his recklessness one of these days, and I refuse to be his bodyguard.”

Neji smiled softly, turning his gaze to the ground. “You like him that much, huh?” He muttered. Sasuke didn’t seem to hear him, instead continuing to complain about Naruto this, Naruto that. 

Neji sighed, inwardly smiling to himself. This was ok, just being friends with him was enough.

_ Neji didn’t know when, or why, he had started to fall for the annoying brunette. Perhaps it had something to do with how misunderstood he was, or how when he smiled, though it was rare, it lit up the whole world. He can’t even begin to fathom why he had ever hated this adorable ball of moonlight. Ah, wait, he could. _

_ It all started at age 6, before Sasuke broke, before the war, before… Naruto. When he was just another kid playing in the forest for Neji to talk to. It was a bad day, his father scolded him, and kicked him out of the house, telling him to sleep outside for the night. The little boy headed to the forest in response, looking for a nice, shaded area to rest. When he finally found one, however, someone else was already there. _

_ It was a little boy, with features that took your breath away, and hair that cupped his face rather cutely. The boy turned his head at Neji’s approach, and smiled softly when he saw him. “Hi.” Just now remembering how to breathe, Neji greeted him in return. He was adorable- no, he was a boy, and Neji needed to stop having these thoughts or father would find out.  _

_ The two boys talked for a while, until Sasuke’s brother called for him to come home. Then the boy bounced away, and Neji couldn’t help but feel jealous at how Sasuke’s face lit up when he heard Itachi. Days passed, and Neji found himself meeting up with the little boy, found himself feeling grateful to have a friend, found himself starting to like said friend, starting to sneak away from home just to see him. When father found out, he was furious. _

_ He forbade Neji from leaving the house, and in trying to make up for his mistakes, Neji agreed. That was when the massacre happened. A month later, Neji found out about it, and tried to leave. He begged his father to let him go, let him comfort his friends, but father wouldn’t allow it. “No.” He said. “You must focus on being a ninja.” He said. “No one has any time for your silly relationship with the Uchiha brat.” He said. And all Neji could do was cry in his room at night, regretting not being there for Sasuke when he needed him most. _

_ Years passed, and Neji watched from the sidelines as the Uchiha lost his smile, lost the smile that lit up Neji’s world, and instead replaced it with a cold persona that blocked out everyone. Everyone, that is, except for a certain annoying blonde. Then again, Naruto always had a way of bulldozing through everyone’s defenses.  _

_ Neji watched how the blonde got the Uchiha to laugh again, to feel the feelings Neji knows he’s been pushing away. But still, nothing could quell Neji’s own feelings for the brooding raven. Perhaps it was those same feelings that compelled him to approach him at that bridge, even after he had almost died.  _

Perhaps it was those same feelings that kept him by the Uchiha’s side even after he knew he wouldn’t ever stand a chance against Naruto. Perhaps. Even so… 

Neji looked at the ravenhead, who was still rambling about Naruto. Even so, Neji couldn’t help but wonder what would have happened if he had chosen Sasuke instead of his father that day. Maybe instead of Naruto, those eyes filled with adoration would be directed at him. And that, Neji thought, would have been worth all the pain he would have gone through, because then, he would still have Sasuke by his side.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh my god, you don’t know how much it hurt for me to write this chapter. Halfway through, I just wanted to stop typing and just cry. I don’t want Neji to have to experience an unrequited love, because I know it will hurt him, and he doesn’t deserve to suffer any more, but it’s crucial to the story, and now Imma go cry into a pillow. 
> 
> I hope this longer chapter made up for me not updating in a while- sniff. 


	9. Chapter 9

Boruto reluctantly got up, his mind still foggy with sleep. He swung his legs over the side of the mattress, bringing his hand up to his cheek to stifle a yawn. Blinking drowsily, Boruto took a look around, observing his surroundings.  _ Where am I? _

With a sigh, Boruto stood up and turned around to make his bed, only to find a lump of blonde hair sleeping there. Confused, Boruto racked his mind for an answer on why there was a stranger in his bed. Sighing in his sleep, the ‘stranger’ turned around, giving Boruto a good look at his face, his eyes widening when he recognized it.  _ Ah, that’s right. I’m in the past. Shit, I thought it was all a dream…  _

A knock on the door startled him out of his thoughts, and he quickly stumbled out of the room. Curiously, he glanced over at Sasuke’s door.  _ Huh, I thought Uncle Sasuke rose with the sun.  _ Another, more urgent knock made him jump, and he groaned. “Coming!” He shouted as loud as his hoarse voice would let him. 

Boruto stalked over to the door and swung it open, ready to glare at whomever had forced him to wake up. The glare quickly faded when he saw Sakura standing on the other side though.  _ Shit.  _ The blonde boy struggled to put a smile on his face and properly greet the pink haired kunoichi. He had learned the hard way to not look at her the wrong way, especially in the mornings.

Sakura glanced up at the blonde who opened the door, and a smile immediately came onto her face, along with a slight blush. “Hey!” She chirped. “Boruto, right? It’s nice to see you again! Sorry for waking you up so early, but is Naruto here?” As if summoned, the blonde boy walked up to Boruto’s right, rubbing his eyes. That earned him a thump on the head. “Hey! What was that for?”

Sakura gave him an irritated smile. “You dumbass! You were supposed to meet Ino and the others for dinner last night!” 

“Oh.” Naruto grinned sheepishly. “Sorry, I forgot.” Annoyed, Sakura gave him another thump on his head. Naruto frowned, rubbing the sore spot where Sakura had just hit him. “Why are you scolding me? You didn’t go either. You were too busy on a date with… Sasuke.” The forgotten boy to the side of Naruto gave him a curious look, catching the way he spoke Sasuke’s name softly. 

The kunoichi, however, did not, instead continuing to reprimand the teen. “Yes, but at least I called ahead and canceled! You made them wait a full hour for you!” 

“Sorry…” Naruto mumbled. Sakura sighed, rubbing her forehead. “Naruto, you have to start being punctual. You know you’re next in line for hokage, and no one likes a hokage who's always late.”  **Kakashi doesn’t count. He's so hot that everyone overlooks his lateness. And besides, he doesn’t become hokage in this fanfic. Humph.**

The girl was about to go into another fit of scolding when a figure showed up behind her, encasing her in his shadow. Startled, Sakura turned around quickly, meeting Sasuke’s chest. Blushing, she stuttered out a greeting. “H-hey!” Sasuke nodded at her, then paused as if hesitating. Before Sakura could leave, the raven leant down and gave her a quick peck on the cheek. 

Wobbling a little bit, a flustered Sakura quickly excused herself. Meanwhile, on the other side of the door, a blonde haired shinobi was watching this whole exchange with blank, unreadable eyes. Inside of him, he could feel his heart cracking just a bit more, and the teen couldn’t help but wish that it was Naruto Sasuke was greeting with a kiss on the cheek. Shaking himself out of the ‘impossible’ fantasy, Naruto smiled grimly at Sasuke.

Boruto recalled the way Naruto acted when Sakura was at the house, his way of speaking about Sasuke, and then the look on his face when Sasuke kissed his girlfriend. Without meaning to, something inside him clicked, and Boruto finally knew exactly who Naruto was so irreversibly in love with. 

Boruto gagged, earning a concerned look from Naruto, and a disgusted one from Sasuke. Panicking, he ran out of the Uchiha compound, shoving Sasuke on the way out. Then he ran, looking for a place, any place, where he could be alone without anyone bothering him. 

Finally, he found a spot right at the border of Konoha, a long way from the village, and settled in the grass.  _ What. The. Hell.  _ Boruto leaned past the tree on his right, allowing his head to thump the ground. His head was screaming at him, partly shouting questions, partly high pitched noises that Boruto was  _ sure _ wasn’t his voice. 

Giving up on trying to sort out his thoughts, the boy settled on just lying on the ground and letting his mind run on it’s own. 

_ Naruto is in love with Uncle Sasuke. Either that, or he’s still in love with Aunt Sakura. But if Naruto was really in love with her, he wouldn’t have married mom, and he would have stayed with Auntie instead of breaking up with her. So it has to be Sasuke.  _ Boruto’s face twisted into a look of disgust.

_ Dad and Uncle Sasuke. But why? They, they’re brothers, not lovers. It- it feels wrong.  _ Boruto was no stranger to the meaning of gay. He knows that liking boys isn’t wrong, or disgusting. Hell, he has two gay friends who are openly dating each other. So no, he’s not against the prospect of ‘gay’.  _ So why the hell do I feel like throwing up every time I think about it? _

Boruto sighed, no closer to settling his mind than he had been when he first came. The blonde got up from his spot on the ground, debating whether he should head back to the Uchiha compound or not.  _ I don’t want to deal with this shit right now. _

Opting out of returning home, he came to a different conclusion. One that involved him doing what all Uzumaki’s do best; meddling. By now even if anyone had known about his new objective, no one could stop him. For when an Uzumaki’s mind is set, there's no changing it. (He got that from his father, no doubt.)

Ready to set his plan into action, Boruto made his way over to the Uchiha compound. Well, he made it halfway before he abruptly stopped and turned back around, sheepishly rubbing the back of his head.  _ Oops, I forgot. Aunt Sakura doesn’t live in the Uchiha compound anymore.  _

Boruto wandered around Konoha, trying to remember where Sarada’s grandparent’s house was. He’d only been there one or two times, and he never exactly drew out a map with directions. Sighing, the blonde boy finally stopped in front of a somewhat familiar house (of which he hoped was Aunt Sakura’s). 

No matter now, he’d already come this far, and it was too late to back out. Hesitantly, Boruto raised a fist to the door and knocked tentatively. When there was no answer, he frowned and lifted his hand. Before he could touch the door again, it swung open, revealing a strawberry headed girl on the other side of it.

Sakura’s eyes widened, and her cheeks turned slightly pink. “Ah, Boruto-kun! Um, what are you doing here?”


	10. Chapter 10

“Sakura-chan.” He greeted the girl back with a nod of his head. “I asked Naruto where you lived, and he gave me directions to this house?” Boruto asked nervously, wondering if she would buy the story. 

Sakura smiled sheepishly. “Ah, I actually don’t live here. I moved into an apartment with my friend TenTen a few weeks ago. Naruto keeps forgetting, haha. Um…” Sakura blushed deeper. “Why did you want to see me?” 

Boruto smiled at her. “I would like to talk to you, if that’s ok?”

“Yes, that’s fine. I was actually just heading out, if you want to grab a cup of coffee?” Boruto beamed, making Sakura a little dizzy. “That’s great Sakura-chan.”

~°~

“So um, haha. What did you want to talk to me about?” Sakura asked, the easygoing smile on her face dropping when she said, “You know I’m already dating someone, right?” Boruto grimaced. He shifted his arm so that it rested on the small table they were sitting at, careful not to touch his still hot drink. 

“Yea, Sasuke. That’s who I wanted to talk to you about. I am aware that you two have only just recently gotten together, correct?” Sakura furrowed her brows, nodding. She did not like where he was going with this.

Boruto frowned, then pinched the bridge of his nose. “Er, well, there’s no easy way to say this, but uh, I want you to break up with him.” The pinkette blinked softly. “Excuse me? Why would you want me to break up with him?”

The blonde flinched slightly, what the hell was he supposed to say? “Um, because I like you?” Sakura snorted at this. “Yea right, I could tell from the moment you laid eyes on me that you had no intention of feeling anything that’s not platonic towards me. Naruto and Sasuke may joke around that I’m useless, but I notice more than I let on. Besides…” She pointed out. “That wasn’t very convincing.”

Boruto glanced at her, a thoughtful look on his face. “Why would D- Naruto and Sasuke call you useless?” 

“If you don't know yet, then I have no intention of telling you.” Sakura replied, leisurely sipping from a small coffee cup. “But, anyways…” The cup was placed down. “Why do you want me to break up with Sasuke? It’s not like it’ll get you anything, so there must be a juicy story behind it. Spill.”

Boruto gulped. He knew what happened when Aunt Sakura wanted something. She would get it if she had to torture him to death. “I- it- I might be, er, helping… a friend?” “So someone is in love with Sasuke. Alright, who is it? Tell me now and I might not destroy you later.”

Boruto fumbled with his fingers underneath the table.  _ Shit. She’s got me cornered and she knows it.  _ “L- listen can we talk somewhere else?” The girl’s eyes narrowed. “Are you going to run away from me?” Boruto gave what looked like a half smile, half grimace. “Er, no”  _ I’m never going through  _ that  _ again…  _

“Ok then! We can meet at my apartment! Let’s go!” Sakura planted her hands on the table and pushed herself up to her feet, practically skipping to the door. “Well, aren’t you coming?” “N-now?” 

The girl rolled her eyes. “Yes, now. TenTen is out with Neji, so she won't be at home. It’s the perfect chance to talk about  _ forbidden romances _ .” Sakura giggled at the last part. Boruto just sighed and shook his head.  _ Not sure if it’s quite a romance yet, Auntie, but ok.  _ Who knew Sakura was such a fangirl?

The two headed back to Sakura’s, the pink haired girl dragging Boruto along. When they arrived at the door (Boruto out of breath and Sakura as chirpy as ever…), the kunoichi quickly unlocked it and yanked Boruto inside the spacious apartment. 

The blonde found himself in a large living room with two passages, one very obviously leading to a kitchen, and the other, well, he was about to find out. Before Boruto had time to completely take in his surroundings, he felt himself being dragged through the second passageway, and to a room at the end of it. 

About three seconds later, the blonde was sitting on a rather soft bed, with Sakura on the other side of the room locking the door. “Alrighty then!” The pinkette chirped, swinging around to meet Boruto’s face. “So, then, I want to talk to you about who exactly likes Sasuke.” The boy gulped silently, a distressed expression on his face. “W- what are you going to do to them if I told you?” 

Sakura frowned. “I couldn’t care less about who likes Sasuke. I just need to know if the person you’re talking about is the person I think you’re talking about. So with that being said, I am going to take a wild guess, and you are going to tell me if I am correct or not, understood?” 

She didn’t let Boruto answer. Instead, Sakura placed two hands on each side of Boruto’s legs, efficiently trapping him from escaping. The girl took a deep breath, then bore her eyes into the blonde’s. “Is it Naruto? Be honest.” 

Boruto made what sounded like a strangled noise. Getting impatient, Sakura pounded a fist into the bed, the springs snapping audibly. Boruto nodded as fast as he could. Cursing, the (extremely dangerous) girl stood up abruptly and ran a hand through her strawberry locks. After a moment of silence, Sakura punched the wall next to her, shouting, “DAMN IT!” 

Boruto flinched, and then noticed that the girl wasn’t about to castrate him. Quite the opposite, in fact. Sakura was sobbing, her tears dripping onto the floor. Unsure of what to do, the boy hesitantly walked over to where she was, and placed a hand on her shoulder. As soon as he did this, the kunoichi’s knees buckled, and Boruto found himself sinking to the ground with her. 

“Er, you ok?” Those three words broke the barrier of silence surrounding them, and sent Sakura into a rant, half crying, half rambling on and on. Boruto tried his best to listen to what she was saying, and managed to catch a few words, despite the constant sniffling and gasps of air. 

“I just don’t understand…  _ sniffle…  _ why didn’t he tell me?...  _ sob…  _ I thought he- thought he…” After going into another sobbing fit, the girl seemed to calm down a bit. Sakura was now sitting on her bed, eye’s red rimmed and a glass of water sitting in her hands, forgotten. 

Boruto awkwardly sat next to her, hesitantly placing a hand on her back. To his surprise, the girl leaned into the touch, finding herself lying against Boruto’s chest. The boy waited patiently for her to start talking, and she did. Her voice was quiet, with a small tremor to it every now and then. 

“I knew. I- I knew that he was in love with Sasuke. Or- well, I at least suspected it. When I confronted him about it, h-he told me that I was spitting nonsense. He laughed it off, told me that it was nothing. And being the useless girl I am, I believed him. I convinced myself it was just my imagination.” Her voices trailed off, falling silent before she began again.

“Maybe that was just what I wanted to think. I should’ve paid more attention. I should’ve ignored my nearly nonexistent feelings for Sasuke and just supported Naruto. I should’ve forced him to tell me, to admit it. But-” 

“What do you mean your nonexistent feelings for U- I mean Sasuke? I thought you were in love with him?” Sakura snorted. “That was when I was a stupid kid, and even then it wasn’t love. It was a messed up obsession forced upon me by others. I pursued my feelings for Sasuke this time because he was familiar. A single thing to hang on to after everything changed.” 

The girl sighed. “Even now, it’s not love. I just- I don’t know. Maybe I’m still dwelling on the things my parents drilled into me.” She laughed dryly. “You know what hurts the most? It’s the fact that Naruto trusts you, a person he met less than a week ago, over me, whom he’s known nearly his entire life. Honestly though? I don’t think I would’ve trusted me if I were him either.” 

Sakura sat up abruptly. “I’m going to make it up to him. I’m going to break up with Sasuke and help Naruto either achieve his love, or get over him if it turns out to be impossible. Which, knowing the broody bastard, will most likely happen.” Boruto frowned, nodding. He hadn’t even noticed that the girl had lay down at some point during her monologue. Before he could comment though, Sakura was already out the door.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ok so, originally, I was going to make Sakura represent us fujoshi’s and fudanshi’s, so you readers have someone to relate to. But as the story progressed, I honestly didn’t want the characters in this story to be fangirling over stupid stuff.
> 
> I wanted the notion of homosexuality to be normal in this world, and not something to be obsessed over, whether in a supporting, or hurtful way. I don't want SasuNaru to have to deal with homophobia, or excessive fangirls when they finally get together.The road to becoming a couple is bumpy enough without all the excess drama. 
> 
> Just wanted to let you guys know… dunno why though. I guess I’m tired of talking to myself all the time… Screw Corona.


	11. Chapter 11

_ Ok, so maybe that wasn't one of my best ideas.  _ Boruto figured that out extremely quickly when he suddenly found himself cornered in his room by a  _ very, very _ angry Naruto. And now, he must succumb to his fate, which unfortunately includes Naruto screaming at him.

“I can’t believe you. You fucking told Sakura? What part of, ‘I don’t really want anyone to know.’ do you not understand?” Boruto winced. He was pretty sure he’d never heard Naruto say that to him before. The boy sighed, and ran a hand through his long, blonde hair. “Listen, Naruto, I’m sorry, she cornered me and I-”

“Boruto, shut up. Even if she had cornered you, it was because she’d heard it from somewhere and wanted to confirm her suspicions. And the only three people she could’ve heard it from, are you, Gaara, and Shika. No offence, but I’ve known them a lot longer than I have you, and they’ve never betrayed me before.” Naruto’s mask fell, revealing a whole world of hurt on his face. “I guess I was wrong for assuming I could trust you too.”

Before Boruto had time to overcome his shock, Naruto had walked out already and slammed the door.  _ Shit. I messed up.  _ The blonde slumped over to his bed, plopping down and burying his face in his hands.  _ I should’ve known better. We were just so close, I guess I forgot. In this world, I’m not Naruto’s son. I’m just a random guy who lives with him, and he has no obligations towards me. He… he has every right to leave me.  _

Boruto groaned, and bolted upright. He all but ran out of the door, declaring rather loudly, “I have to fix this.” As soon as he stepped out the door, however, a rough hand wrapped itself around his wrist, yanking him into the shadows. A rough voice spoke to him, settling his fight response. “I think you’ve done enough already.” 

~°~

_ Today is, no doubt, going to be marked in history as the scariest day of Boruto Uzumaki’s life. Future generations will be laughing at how stupid I was to get in such a situation where not one, but two of the most powerful shinobi in the world want me dead. _

Currently, Boruto was standing in Sasuke’s room. He would’ve been thrilled at the prospect of finally getting to see it, if it weren't for the pools of sweat pouring down his neck and the icy glare trained on his face. After what felt like an eternity of silence, the raven spoke up, which in a way, was even scarier. 

“I thought I made myself clear that if you hurt Naruto in any way, shape, or form, I would castrate you.” The blonde couldn’t do anything but laugh nervously.  _ Is dad sure that his love is unrequited? Uncle Sasuke is, er, quite a bit protective over him.  _ Sasuke narrowed his eyes, causing Boruto to flinch.

“Well? Do you have anything to say for yourself? What the hell did you do?” The boy swallowed audibly. “I told Sakura something I shouldn’t have.” Sasuke raised an eyebrow, silently telling him to continue. When he didn’t, the raven frowned. “And?” “Er, that’s it.”

The Uchiha seemed surprised at this. “Ok, so first of all, when did you become so close to Sakura?” Boruto opened his mouth to answer, but was interrupted. “And secondly, what was such a big secret that Naruto told  _ you _ before Sakura or I? He should know that Sakura or I was bound to find out eventually.”

Boruto gulped again, not liking the interrogation. “I already broke his trust once, I’m not doing it again.” Expecting to be hit upon the head for that comment, the blonde was surprised when instead, a glimmer of respect flickered through Sasuke’s eyes. It was faint, and left as quick as it came, but it was enough to cause Boruto’s chest to swell in pride. 

That beautiful moment only lasted a second when his head started pounding, and Boruto found out that despite what he said, the Uchiha was still going to beat him up. Sasuke gave an evil looking smile, with his eyes closed and his head tilted to the side. “Since you have somewhat earned my respect, I shall give you ten seconds to run.” 

Terrified, Boruto wasted no time in scrambling to his feet and getting the hell out of there. True to his word, ten seconds later he felt a set of footsteps thudding after him. The blonde quickly ran into Naruto’s room, hoping that at least he wouldn't get beaten up there in respect of Naruto. Boy, was he mistaken. No sooner than his feet hit the floor, a tug on his shirt caused him to fall backwards. 

More than a little terrified, Boruto let out a squeal of surprise (A very manly squeal mind you). The boy found himself falling onto his back in front of the bed, and Sasuke crawled on top of him, straddling him. The scene itself would be extremely erotic if it weren’t for the cool metal of a kunai pressed up against his throat. Sasuke purred. “Now, now, Bo-ru-to. Stay still and maybe I won't hurt you more than I have to.”

Thankfully, before anything irreversible could be done, the door swung open. Nevermind, scratch the ‘thankfully’. This was surely one of the most dangerous situations in Boruto’s life. Imagine his terror, when the door swung open to reveal the very person that was in love with the boy currently sitting atop him in a rather…  _ questioning  _ position.

The younger blonde tentatively looked into the older’s eyes, a shiver running down his spine when he saw the pure outrage and jealousy swirling around in his father’s eyes. When the glare trained on him shifted towards the boy straddling him, the outrage was replaced by a predatory gaze. The look was gone as soon as it came, and all that was said was a bitter, “Am I interrupting something?”

  
  
  
  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Dont you just hate it when you're reading a fanfiction, and a character does something stupid that makes you smile, and then are your friends are like- oOooOoO, who you talking to? I'm reading about a guy I have an unhealthy obsession with, now go away so I can fangirl in peace.


	12. Chapter 12

A wave of silence flooded the room. Boruto was silently watching the two men stare at each other, Sasuke's face maintaining an impassive look as always. Naruto, on the other hand, was trying extremely hard to hide the growing jealousy in his eyes. The boy grimaced to himself. He wasn't exactly in the most favorable position right now. 

Besides, Boruto was convinced that the second he tried to escape the growing tension in the air, either Sasuke or Naruto were going to grab him by the scruff of his neck and carve off his skin. Despite the rather…gruesome…picture the thought placed in his mind, Boruto found himself shuffling around anyways, searching for an escape. Unfortunately for him, Sasuke was having none of that. The raven quickly abandoned his stare down with Naruto in favor of grabbing Boruto’s arms and pinning them above his head. 

Sasuke leaned down to Boruto’s face, so close their noses were almost touching. “You aren’t going anywhere.” He hissed. The blonde gulped, momentarily forgetting about the third person in the room. Big mistake. Boruto seemed to be making an alarming amount of those lately. _This can’t be good for my health. I can see it already. Boruto Uzumaki. Cause of Death: Being a stupid idiot._

Naruto seemed to have taken the words Sasuke whispered to Boruto in an entirely different way. His aura screamed dangerous. With two swift steps, Naruto was across the room and his hand was latched onto Sasuke’s arm. Without a word, Naruto dragged the raven out of the room, deliberately slamming the door. Boruto was finally alone and away from all the drama the two teens caused. 

He could faintly hear hushed voices arguing, but the blonde turned his head away, deciding that he has had more than enough near-death experiences that day. With a sigh, Boruto got up onto his feet, rubbing his back (of which was still sore from when the Uchiha had slammed it into the ground a while ago).

The boy grumbled under his breath. _I hate my life. Why can’t those two just confess already? So annoying, creating more work than I want or need._ Still mentally complaining, Boruto trudged over to the bed, wanting nothing more than a good night’s sleep. As he sank into the mattress, he let out a sigh of contentment. _Screw you dad._

~°~

Naruto growled at the pale skinned teen in front of him. “What the hell was that?” Said teen shrugged impassively. “What the hell was what? I wasn't doing anything.” “What do you mean you weren't doing anything?” Naruto hissed. “You were all over Boruto just a while ago.” Sasuke rolled his eyes. “So? What do you care? You were the one who said we should be ‘kind and inviting’ towards him.”

The blonde clenched his fists. “That doesn’t mean get unnecessarily close with him!” “Again, I fail to understand why it matters. It's not like we’re dating or anything, and you’re acting like a jealous boyfriend.” 

Naruto’s heart sank. “Right. Yea, you’re right.” The teen scoffed at his own stupidity. What the hell was I expecting anyways right?” He quickly turned away from the raven and stalked off. Sasuke frowned, launching forward and grabbing onto Naruto’s sleeve. “Naruto, what the hell has gotten into you lately? Ever since I told you I was dating Sakura you’ve been acting all skittish around me.” 

No answer was heard from Naruto, so Sasuke decided to say something he knew would catch his attention. “Sakura broke up with me, you know.” Naruto’s head whipped around. “She WHAT?” The blonde seemed to start panicking, and he muttered, “She actually went through with it?” The raven’s eyes narrowed as he came to a realization. “So this is what it’s all about?”

“Seriously Naruto? You're still caught up on your silly crush on Sakura? I thought you had gotten over her by now.” “No, that’s- it’s not-” Naruto sighed. “I don’t like Sakura. I’ve gotten over my feelings for her a long time ago.” “Then what is this about, Naruto? You’ve been shutting me out these past few days, and it’s driving me nuts!” 

Naruto flinched. Sasuke never raised his voice. He must really be upset by all this. “Sorry.” Naruto’s voice was so soft that Sasuke almost felt bad for snapping at him. _Almost._ The raven opted for a gentler tone. “Listen, Naruto. I hope that you can get through whatever it is that you’re going through. But just so you know, you can’t keep it from me forever, and I won’t judge you because of it. Kami knows I’ve done enough of that in my lifetime.”

His joke brought out a small smile from the blonde. “Thanks Sasuke, bu-” _Knock, knock, knock._ Naruto immediately rushed to the door, excited not only because he had an excuse out of the conversation, but also because he had a pretty good idea of who was at the door. Skidding down the hallway, the blonde opened the door with a dramatic, “GAARA!” 

And indeed, standing right in front of the doorway, was a mildly surprised redhead. Who wasn’t really _that_ surprised with Naruto’s antics. He’d been exposed to the overactive boy long enough to at least tolerate his peppiness. “Gaara! I’m so, so, so glad you’re here! You know, I almost thought you weren’t going to come this time!” Gaara frowned. “Why wouldn't I come to see you?” Naruto beamed. “No reason! But hey! You saved me from an incredibly awkward conversation, so I’ll reward you by treating you out to ramen!”

The redhead sighed, then reluctantly agreed. He knew that he was going to end up paying the bill anyways, but who could deny Naruto once he had his mind set on something? “Great! Lemme just tell the teme real quick.” Naruto stuck his head in through the doorway, hollering, “HEY BASTARD! GAARA AND I ARE LEAVING NOW!” A faint “Whatever dobe!” was heard in the distance, satisfying the blonde. 

With a grin, he turned back to Gaara. “Alrighty then, let’s go! We have so much to talk about!” Gaara shook his head as he followed, already knowing that this was going to be a long day.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ok, guys, so the next chapter is going to be about Gaara and Naruto’s conversation! It might be quite a bit similar to Sasuke and Neji’s, but not quite as depressing of an unrequited love as Neji’s. Whoops, I just gave y’all a spoiler. Whatever, you were going to find out next week anyways. Alright BAI!!! Love you all, my beautiful readers!


	13. Chapter 13

_ Ding, ding, ding.  _ The bell on Ramen Ichiraku’s door rang. The small place had expanded considerably since Team 7’s genin days, and it was now a real restaurant, tables, and waiters, and all. They had Naruto to thank for that of course. Everyone wanted to eat at ‘The next Hokage’s favorite ramen place.’

“So? What do you think?” Naruto grinned, waltzing into his favorite restaurant. He quickly rushed over to the bar and leaned across it, calling out for his favorite chef. “HEY! OLD MAN!” 

At the sound of his yelling, the Ichiraku chef came out of the kitchen, eyes wrinkled with a soft smile. “Well, well, if it isn't my best customer. How’s shinobi life treating you Naruto?” Said boy grinned, showing his pearly white teeth. “Great! In fact…” The blonde glanced behind his back. “Today I’m here with Gaara!” “Ah, Kazekage-sama.” The man greeted, lowering his head in respect. He turned back to Naruto, asking, “The usual, I'm suspecting?”

Naruto nodded. “Ey, Gaara, what do you want?” The redhead shrugged. “You choose for me.” Hearing this, blue eyes lit up. “Great! He'll have the same as me!” The boy slid onto a stool easily, patting the seat next to him. “Alrighty then Gaara, we have some news to talk about~” 

_ Right.  _ Gaara nodded, signaling for the waiter. He knew he would most likely need a drink for this conversation, and besides, Naruto was just going to eat both of their bowls anyways. You see, when Naruto calls him to ‘talk’, it's almost always because of something Sasuke did, and well, when it comes to Naruto, all things related to Sasuke either is a blessing sent from Kami, or something to complain about day and night. 

Either way, Gaara doesn't see himself getting out of this situation anytime soon, so he settles for a drink and tunes Naruto out. In no time at all, his mind began to wander, specifically to a certain long haired brunette. Speaking of the snarky boy, he had matters to discuss with Naruto about him. Gaara set his drink down, and turned towards Naruto, cutting him off about his rant about a  _ Boruto  _ person.

“Hey, Naruto, has Sasuke and Neji spent quite a bit of time together lately?” The blonde looked up at him, confused. “Uh, yea. Sasuke’s been sneaking off at night lately, and last time I followed him, I found him and Neji talking.” The redhead took a deep breath. “Naruto.” He started off slowly. “You are aware that Hyuuga is interested in men, correct?” 

Naruto's eyes widened considerably. “No, what makes you think that?” The blonde managed to squeak out. Gaara sighed exasperatedly, taking initiative to pick up his drink once more. “Not only that, but I have good reason to believe that Hyuuga is indeed, in love with your beloved Uchiha.” 

The blonde immediately sat up straighter. “How do you know this.” “From the time Hyuuga spent in Suna with me. Usually his face remains fairly stoic, but a couple of drinks later, and it was considerably easier to read him.” Gaara took a gulp out of his glass cup, emptying it with a flourish. Naruto urged him to continue. “Your point is?”

“Nothing. I just thought it was peculiar how at every mention of your name he would have something akin to a scowl on his face, and every time I brought up that raven of yours, he had this far away, dreamy look, much like how I do when I talk to Shukaku. Except I don't have a lovesick expression on my face. It was quite a refreshing change from Hyuuga’s normal bluntness though.”

Gaara had lost him at ‘lovesick expression’. The blue eyed boy couldn’t believe his ears. Now, Naruto wasn’t one to normally get jealous, but then again, Sasuke’s never really shown any interest in anyone. His fangirls he rejects without a shred of sympathy, so Naruto had just assumed he wasn't interested in anyone, period. Going over the information given him, the boy narrowed his eyes. 

Hyuuga wasn't some annoying fangirl that Sasuke would brush off and be done with. No, they were friends, and the fact that they've been sneaking off at night together makes it all the more frustrating. Naruto groaned, and slammed his head on the counter next to his ramen. He was dealing with  _ real  _ competition, and unless he wanted to be Sasuke’s best man on his and Neji’s wedding (He cringed at the thought, it made him want to smash a table into that damned Hyuuga’s head.), he would have to make a move, and quickly.

Things are especially dangerous now with the whole breakup with Sakura. Determined, Naruto made up his mind. He would go give that Hyuuga a piece of his mind. Satisfied with his game plan, he slammed the palms of his hand on the counter. Startled, Gaara looked up from his drink. (It had been empty for a while now, so Naruto had no idea what he was still doing with it.) 

“Sorry Gaara, I have to go. Sasuke’s at the house all by himself with Boruto- SHIT!” Eyes wide, Naruto debated how he ever could have forgotten Boruto, that little devil. He had been in such a rush to get out of the house earlier that he had completely forgotten about Boruto. Cursing, he snatched his coat up and left, half eaten ramen in the bowl.

Gaara sighed loudly. This day was going exactly as he had expected it to, and by Kami was it exhausting. Don’t get him wrong, he enjoyed being his best friend’s wingman. In fact, it’s the least he can do after all that the blonde’s done for him. Sometimes though, at times like these, is when he wishes he had someone  _ he  _ could rant to as well. A lover is what most people call it.

Gaara sighed, taking his hand off his now full cup of alcohol. The waiter must have filled it during his conversation with Naruto. “You going to finish that?” A rich, deep voice echoed in his ear.

Gaara turned to the source of the noise, only mildly surprised that it was none other than Hyuuga Neji himself standing there. Cautiously, he shook his head. “Thanks.” The brunette snatched up the cup, tilting his head back to swallow it all in one gulp. With a sigh, he slid down into the seat Naruto was just on.

The teen fingered the glass in his hand, before blurting out, “I heard what you and Naruto were talking about. I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to eavesdrop.” Not sure what to make of this information, the redhead settled on nodding slowly. “I just, uh, I just came over here to tell you that um, well, you don't have to worry about me and Sasuke.”

“Tell Naruto that there's nothing going on between me and him, and though I would love there to be, it's not me he's interested in.” Gaara cocked his head innocently. “So if it's not you, than who is it?” Neji threw back his head and laughed out loud. “Nice try Kazekage. I’m not  _ that  _ drunk yet.”

Neji’s laughter rang through the redhead's mind, and he couldn’t help himself from thinking that a drunk Neji was somewhat… cute in a way.

  
****

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alright, so I decided against having Gaara be in love with Naruto. At first I was sort of planning to have him and Neji bond over their unrequited love, but a comment changed my mind. (Yes, a comment. You would be surprised by how much those measly little things have an effect on the story.) So instead, Imma just have him be a touch deprived, sick of life, smol bean. Sorry Gaara bby. We all must make sacrifices for the sake of the show!
> 
> Anyways, I'm sorry for not updating in a week. School work has just been extra stressful lately. I hope to see you soon, my wonderful readers!


	14. Chapter 14

Naruto ran as fast as he could back to the Uchiha compound. “I swear, if either one of those little bitches have touched Sasuke in any way, shape, or form, I will  _ destroy  _ them!” He mumbles under his breath, along with many other threats and curses. 

The teen huffed when he approached the mansion, fumbling to get his keys before he gave up, knocking rapidly on the door instead. After what seemed like forever, the door finally opened, revealing a rather disheveled Sasuke.  _ Adorable.  _

“What do you want dobe? It’s eleven PM at night.” Naruto rolled his eyes. “You Uchiha’s and your schedules.” Hastily, Naruto stepped inside the house, pushing past Sasuke to look around the house. “Dobe, what are you doing?” 

The blonde looked back at Sasuke, faking a laugh. “Nothing, dattebayo. I was just wondering where Boruto was?” Sasuke narrowed his eyes. “That isn’t any of your business Naruto.” “Right, right. So he's not in the house?” The raven frowned. Why was Naruto so intent on finding out where Boruto is?

“No, he's in my room. Why do you care?” Sasuke would have laughed at the horrified expression on Naruto’s face if he weren’t so confused as to why the blonde was acting so strangely. 

“WHAT?? BORUTO’S IN YOUR ROOM???” Naruto grabbed Sasuke's shoulders, squeezing them so tightly the raven was afraid they would pop. With a grunt, Sasuke threw Naruto off of him, glaring. “Naruto what the hell? Yes Boruto is in my room, now why the hell are you being so dramatic about it?”

The blond immediately latched his hands onto Sasuke's arms, looking him in the eyes. “Sasuke, tell me. What did he do to you?” Surprised, the raven pulled his arms away. “What do you mean Naruto? Boruto didn’t do anything to me.” Then, in a quieter tone, he muttered, “More like what did _ I  _ do to  _ him _ …” 

Hearing this, Naruto wailed in agony. What had Boruto done to seduce and taint his precious Sasuke? Having enough of the blonde’s childish behavior, Sasuke snapped, “What the hell Naruto? Tell me what’s wrong with you right now you idiot.”

The boy then looked ashamed. Whether it was because of the tantrum he just had, or another reason, though, Sasuke didn’t know. “When you finish your hissy fit, I’ll be upstairs. I have to check on Boruto anyway.” “Wait, why do you have to check up on Boruto?” Sasuke winced, guilt apparent on his face. “Well, he may or may not be in a bit of pain right now because of me.” 

Sasuke didn’t understand why Naruto let out a strangled noise at that statement, and frankly, he didn't really care at the moment. Right now, he needed to focus on making sure no one found out he had beaten up our newest guest to a pulp, or he would be fresh meat for Naruto.

“W-well, I could go check on him. See if he’s alright?” Sasuke’s eyes widened at the implication, all but yelling the word, “NO!” at his blonde friend. Realizing how big of a reaction he had, the raven just shook his head. “I’ll see you later Naruto.” He quickly headed back up to his room, ignoring the pout that he was sure Naruto was wearing.

Naruto, though, wasn't wearing a pout. He was staring off into the direction where Sasuke had disappeared, willing the tears to go away. Sighing, he wiped off his face with the back of his hand and turned around, heading back to his own room.

Once safely behind a closed door, the blonde boy silently cried. In the midst of the darkness he was in, he murmured, “Why him. After all I’ve done for you, why him? Why him, why Neji, why. Why. WHY!” Naruto ended up screaming at his room, shedding tears drop by drop. He was at his lowest, and he needed someone to blame, even though he knew it wasn’t Sasuke’s fault he didn't love him. At least, not in the way he wanted him to.

“Who was I kidding?” Naruto chuckled dryly. “Who was I FUCKING KIDDING?” His voice dropped to a low whisper. “There’s no competition. What I feel towards him doesn’t matter. There’s no competing against a Hyuuga. Especially not when a gorgeous stranger is thrown into the mix. Fuck, I never even had a chance to begin with did I?”

The blonde laughed again. He laughed and laughed and laughed. He laughed at how pitiful he had become. He laughed at how broken he was. He laughed at how he thought he would ever have a chance with an Uchiha in the first place. He laughed, and laughed, until the laughing became small sobs, and tears began running down his face once more.

That's how Sasuke found him. Curled up next to the door, arms hugging his knees, and a tiny puddle near his face. Not to mention his red rimmed eyes and tear streaked face. Cursing under his breath, he picked the blonde up, gently placing him onto his light blue bed. “Who did this to you, dobe?” Sasuke whispered to himself. 

Sighing, the raven climbed into Naruto’s bed with him, pulling the covers over them both. “Stupid dobe, always making things harder for everyone.” Sasuke adjusted his position so that he was now face to face with Naruto. The boy couldn’t seem to explain why his heart seemed to skip a beat at the sight, so instead of trying to figure it out, he ignored the butterflies and snuggled up against Naruto’s chest.

His breathing eventually evened out, and so the two lovebirds fell asleep, warm in each other’s arms.

~°~

“Argh.” 

Naruto groaned, stirring awake. Mind groggy from sleep, the blonde lightly squeezed the heat source next to him, bringing it closer to him. When said heat source grunted in annoyance, the blonde’s eyes snapped open, rewarded with a sight of black, silky hair in his face.  _ What?  _

When Naruto pulled back to see who he had been sleeping next to, his ocean blue eyes froze with shock. “Sasuke.” He whispered. Almost immediately after seeing Sasuke’s sleeping face, Naruto felt his cheeks start to heat up. Sasuke while sleeping was a sight not many got to see, and Naruto was apparently one of them now. 

The raven’s face was flushed from the heat of Naruto’s body, his hair slightly sticking out, and his lips slightly parted. He looked like a goddamn angel. Eventually, after  _ who knows how long  _ of Naruto staring at Sasuke's face, he snapped back into focus.  _ Shit.  _ The blonde threw his legs over the side of the bed, sitting upright. He buried his face in his hands. “How the hell am I supposed to get over Sasuke if things like this keep happening?” 

Groaning, he pushed himself up onto his feet, shuffling over to the bathroom. As quietly as he could, he finished getting ready and snuck out of the house. Once the door to the Uchiha’s place was safely closed behind him, the blonde let out a sigh of relief. The blonde took a deep breath, calming himself, and started jogging. 

After about a mile of running, he was interrupted by a petite, blue haired girl. Surprised, Naruto grinned at her. “Hey Hinata! What’s up?” The girl blushed prettily, looking down at her hands. “A- ah, Naruto-kun. You see, well, I was wondering… if I could maybe talk to you for a moment? Ah, t- that is, if you have time?” 

Naruto nodded, slightly concerned. Hinata hadn’t stuttered like that since before they all made chunin. “Sure, Hinata, what’s up?” The girl smiled to herself. “You see, Naruto, I… um, I…” 

Just as Naruto was going to ask her what was wrong, she blurted it out. “I really, really like you Naruto-kun! Please be my boyfriend!” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oop! Uh oh, looks like Naruto’s got an admirer. Don’t know what’s gonna happen next, but prepare for some major drama folks! 
> 
> Sigh, why am I so insistent on making getting them together so hard for myself? 


	15. Chapter 15

Shocked, Naruto stared at the girl. “Um,  _ what? _ I’m sorry, I uh,  _ nani? _ ” Hinata blushed and covered her face. “Y- you don’t have to respond right away, I know it’s a bit sudden, but I really do like you, and I hope you’ll consider my feelings, and I-” The blonde chuckled, cutting her off. “No, it's fine Hinata-chan. Um, I’ll need some time to think about this.” 

The girl nodded, rushing off to Ino, who was waiting by the sidelines with a huge grin on her face. Naruto grinned and shook his head, continuing his jog. His mind kept drifting between Hinata’s confession and Sasuke. Should he give her a chance? He might grow to love her, and it could help him get over Sasuke. He frowned.  _ Maybe. I don’t want to use her though. That isn’t fair to her. _ Whatever, he’d think about it later. For now, he’ll give into the temptation of daydreaming over what Sasuke had looked like that morning.

The mental picture he got brought a smile to his face. He sighed again, he was so whipped. Somehow, that thought led him to think of the one girl who gave the best advice.  _ Sakura.  _ She would know what to do. Nodding his head, he started running to Sakura’s house. After all, Sakura was the best advice giver he had ever known.

When he approached the house, Naruto knocked on the door, snapping his head up when it opened. A smile spread across his face as he met the eyes of his loyal friend. “Sakura, hey.” The pinkette smiled softly, opening the door wider to let Naruto in. Once situated, Sakura gently shut the door behind her. 

“Do you want some hot cocoa?” Naruto nodded at her before turning around to go sit on her birch colored couch, making himself comfortable. A few minutes later, Sakura came out of the kitchen holding two mugs with smoke billowing out the top. With a smile she wordlessly handed Naruto one, before settling into the couch across from him. The girl waited for Naruto to take a sip of the hot chocolate, speaking up when she saw he had swallowed. 

“Is there something you wanted to talk about?” The blonde chuckled. “You know me so well Sakura.” The room fell silent as Sakura waited patiently for Naruto to continue. He looked down at the mug in his hands, watching the ripples interrupt the smooth liquid. “You know about it now. My, er, crush on Sasuke.” Frowning, Sakura nodded at him. 

“Well I wanted to ask for your advice. You see, a girl asked me out, and I… I'm wondering if I should take a chance on her. You know, get over Sasuke.” Sakura lifted her chin ever so slightly, forming an ‘O’ with her mouth. “I think you should definitely give her a chance, and give yourself a chance to get over him.”

Before Naruto could say anything, she continued. “However, you shouldn't date her. It would be unfair to her since you are obviously in love with someone else. Instead ask her to go somewhere with you. Spend a bit of time with her. Later on, if you feel she truly is helping you get over Sasuke, ask her out.” Sakura stared the blonde straight in the eye, a menacing glint in them. “But whatever you do, don’t lead her on. Hinata is a close friend of mine, and I will not have you hurting her in any way.”

Naruto nodded. “Wait, how did you know it was Hinata?” The girl shrugged. “Like I said, she’s a close friend of mine. Not to mention that she's the only person I know who’s ever had a crush on you.” The blonde grinned. “Neh, Sakura, are you sure about that? After all, what's not to like about me?” Sakura snorted, getting up and swatting Naruto on the head. 

“Finish your hot cocoa and get out of my house, baka.” Naruto smiled at her retreating figure. He pressed the mug to his mouth, finishing off the last of his drink. Grinning, he jumped up and ran towards the kitchen, placing his cup in the sink and watching Sakura as she washed the dishes. “Need some help?” “Who am I to deny free labor?” The two friends grinned at each other, chatting up a storm as they started cleaning up.

~°~

Sasuke stirred. Groaning, he rolled onto his back and propped his elbows up. Groggily blinking his eyes, he waited for his eyesight to clear. Once it had, the raven swung his legs over the side of the bed, smiling to himself. For some reason, the restlessness that usually plagued his sleep disappeared that night. It was the best he had slept in years. 

Somewhere in the back of his mind, he wondered if it had anything to do with the fact that he had slept with Naruto that night. Ignoring that thought, he turned his head towards the side, noticing the empty bed. Speaking of the over enthusiastic boy, had he already gotten up? 

Deducing that he had, the raven frowned, getting out of bed and heading towards the bathroom in the hall. He sighed, turning the shower to the highest heat setting. As he waited for the water to warm up, Sasuke let his thoughts wander to a specific blonde.

_ Naruto was… acting strange yesterday. It's not like him to just run off and cry in a corner like that.  _ The raven grimaced, thinking back to when they were younger.  _ But he used to do that when we were genin. A result of being alone all his life.  _ Sasuke narrowed his eyes, feeling the anger and worry building up. 

_ But I thought he had learned to talk to us, especially after the whole war thing. What could’ve possibly caused him to revert back to his old habits. Whatever it is, it had to have been something big.  _ Sasuke crossed his arms with a huff. 

_ Whatever's going on, I will find out. One way or another, eventually someone will spill the beans.  _ A small smirk crossed his face. Lucky for him, he was friends with a Hyuuga that had his nose in practically everyone's business.

Speaking of the Hyuuga… Neji woke up in a dark, dark room. Groaning, he sat up on the bed, marveling slightly at how soft the sheets were. “Comfortable?” A deep voice made the Hyuuga snap to attention, activating his Byakugan. Leaning on the doorframe, was none other than the Kazekage himself. Eyes widening slightly, he snatched up the sheets and threw them off his body, relieved when he found his clothes intact and more importantly, on his body.

Still… Neji’s voice took on a slightly threatening tone. “Where am I and what happened?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Helo my pups!! As you can tell, there will be some GaaNeji coming up next episode! So prepare yourselves! Also I’m so sorry about all the angst and confusion. I would stop, but one, the story wouldn’t be interesting without it, and two, it gives me a sick pleasure to make the characters (and the readers) squirm in their seats. 
> 
> Ah, I'm sORry! PLease dOn’t ThrOw a tOmAto aT meee!


	16. Chapter 16

Gaara tilted his head to the side, as if he were analyzing him. “We didn’t do anything if that’s what you're wondering.” The long haired teen raised an elegant eyebrow, not fully believing the redhead’s statement. “I’m not lying.” 

He walked over to the side of the bed, handing Neji a glass of water. “You got pretty drunk. Started rambling about how Sasuke was never going to love you. Then you passed out. On my arm. The rest you can guess.”

The Hyuuga slightly nodded, taking the glass of water with a small, “Thanks.” The story made sense, so there was no reason to be concerned. Except… “What… exactly did I say about Sasuke?”

Gaara stared him straight in the eye, before handing Neji a bundle of clothes. “There's a bathroom down the hall, and here are some clothes you can change into. I reckon you would like to freshen up a bit before we talk. You don’t look the best.” Of course that was a lie. The brunette always looked good, even when his hair was distraught and his clothes wrinkled.

Gaara didn’t tell him this though. Somehow the Hyuuga brought out a playful side to him he didn’t know he had. 

Neji scowled, running a hand through his long locks. He absolutely detested looking anything other than presentable. “Fine.” The redhead gave him a slight nod, exiting the room without another glance. The brunette hesitantly got out of bed, fisting the clothes that were in his hand.

Neji left the room he woke up in, finding himself inside a long, empty hallway. He quickly walked down the hall, opening two other doors that led to empty bedrooms before finding the right one. With a grimace, the Hyuuga stepped into the room, closing and locking the door behind him.

He hastily turned on the water to the shower, tapping his foot impatiently as he waited for it to heat up. Like many things, he hated showering at a strangers house. It was unsanitary, and made him feel exposed. Neji sighed in relief when he tested the water temperature again, finding it to be warm enough to suit his tastes. 

As quickly as he could, the teen washed himself off and stepped out of the shower, eyes searching for a towel. Lucky for him, there was a neatly stacked pile of unused towels on a rack within arm’s reach. Neji quickly dried himself off, only hesitating slightly before pulling on the clothes that Gaara gave. 

The brunette turned to the side, locking eyes with his mirror reflection. Neji frowned, the clothes were a bit too big for him, judging by the way the sleeves hung past his hands. No matter, it would do for now. Running his hands through his long locks in an attempt to tame them, the boy let out a frustrated groan. 

How could he have been so stupid to get himself in this situation? What in the world could have possibly compelled him to spill all of his secrets to a complete stranger?  _ Well, not exactly a stranger, but it's not like I know him well enough to warrant spilling something I’ve kept a secret for a while now.  _ A knock on the door distracted him from his self berating thoughts, and a deep voice found its way to his ears.

“I’m assuming you're done in there since I can't hear the water running anymore. Hurry up and get out of there, I made breakfast.” Neji’s eyes widened a fraction, surprised.  _ I didn't know the Kazekage could cook. Well, you learn something new everyday,  _ he mused. 

Complying with Gaara’s wishes, he exited the bathroom, and immediately caught the smell of a delicious aroma. Deducing that it must be breakfast, the brunette followed the scent, which led him to a squeaky clean kitchen, empty except for two plates piled with pancakes and fruit, one of which was occupied by a certain redhead.

Neji’s eyes scanned over the food, humming appreciatively. Meanwhile, Gaara was staring at the brunette who had just walked in, unable to take his eyes off of the way his clothes hung off the ends of Neji’s shoulders, giving him a surge of possessiveness that was gone as quickly as it came.

“You hungry?” The redhead forced his eyes away from the other’s shoulders, moving to look into the Hyuuga’s lavender eyes. Neji nodded, silently sitting down in the chair opposite Gaara’s. He elegantly picked up the utensils, raising a bite to his mouth. 

Silently chewing, he let out a small moan of approval at the taste. “It’s good, right?” Gaara tilted his head to the side. The Hyuuga bobbed his head up and down, focused on the taste of the food. “Yes, it is good. Thank you.” 

A moment of silence passed as the brunette chewed, the food on his plate slowly diminishing to nothing. When every last crumb was scraped off, Neji dabbed at his mouth with a napkin, standing up. The boy gave Gaara a slight bow. “Thank you for the food Kazekage-sama. But I really must be on my way.”

The redhead just shrugged. “Ok. I thought we were going to talk about what happened last night?” Neji shook his head. “No need. My memories came back whilst I was in the shower. Thank you for dealing with me.” “Alright then. Goodbye Hyuuga.” 

The Hyuuga gave one last bow, before heading over to the door, opening it and stepping outside. Abruptly, he turned back around, a blank expression on his face. “Kazekage-sama, when would you like your clothes back?” Gaara smirked. “Keep them.”

Neji nodded, and then stepped away from the door, closing it with a flourish. He clutched the small bag full of the brunette's dirty clothes, and took a deep breath.  _ I swear, I am never going drinking ever again.  _ He sighed, exhausted, before heading on his way.

The boy was halfway to the small apartment he stayed at when a voice called out to him. “Neji.” Neji stopped in his tracks. He’d know that voice anywhere. Taking a moment to calm his beating heart and squash down unwanted feelings, he spun around to face the Uchiha.

“Sasuke.” Sasuke gave him a slight grin, sending his inner self screaming in delight. It would’ve been better if he were the only one who got to see his smiles, but unfortunately Naruto saw them more often. Well, better than nothing at all.

“I was looking for you.” Neji’s heart skipped a beat.  _ You were?  _ “I need your help with something.” “Of course.” The cold facade did nothing to betray the feelings running around inside of him at the moment. “What do you need? Is it about your little boyfriend?” He smirked.

Sasuke blushed ever so slightly. “For the last time he’s not- Nevermind. Just, come with me.” As soon as Sasuke turned his back, Neji dropped his smirk, instead staring after Sasuke with longing eyes. “Right.”


	17. Chapter 17

Neji raised an eyebrow, looking up at the huge mansion that his crush currently inhabited. The two boys had headed over to Sasuke’s house after stopping at Neji’s apartment to drop off his clothes. 

“So, we’re meeting here? Won’t your boyfriend get jealous that you brought another guy to your house?” Sasuke’s face turned a light pink, and he spun around to glare at Neji. With a sigh, the raven turned back around and entered the house, deciding to just ignore the brunettes comment.

As the two men entered the house, they heard noises coming from the kitchen. Curious, Neji walked over to the source of the noise, spotting a certain blonde trying (and failing) to attempt to boil some water. The Hyuuga let out a small grunt to make his presence known, causing Naruto to jump slightly, then curse as he tried to get the overflowing pot under control.

“Ah! Neji! Um, what are you doing here?” Before the brunette could reply, Sasuke came up behind him, scrunching his nose at the sight. “He’s with me. More like what are  _ you  _ doing?” Naruto grinned sheepishly. “Well, I was trying to make ramen. I’ve only ever made instant ramen so…” His eyes glanced at the mess before him.

The raven left Neji’s side with a smirk, heading over to Naruto. “You idiot. You have the stove set too high. And you put way too much water in the pot.” Naruto pouted at his friend, and Sasuke just smirked wider. “Jeez dobe, you really are clueless huh? I can't believe a 19 year old can’t even work a simple stove.” That earned him a glare out of the blonde.

The Uchiha took control of the stove, Naruto leaning over his shoulder as Sasuke showed him how to operate the heat without burning the house down. Neji looked at how the couple interacted, and couldn’t help the jealousy that filled him.  _ Stop it. He was never yours to begin with.  _

Still, the Hyuuga watched Naruto and Sasuke’s playful banter, unable to take his eyes off of the sight. When the water was successfully boiling and the water  _ not  _ overplowing the pot, the raven haired teen glanced over in Neji’s direction, giving him an apologetic smile. “Sorry about that. Here, let’s go now.”

“Go where?” “None of your business dobe. Neji and I are going to be in my room, so don’t disturb us, ok?” The Hyuuga nearly facepalmed himself.  _ Does Sasuke even know how suggestive he sounds right now?  _ One look at the raven's blank face and Naruto’s expression of near horror, and he decided, no, he was not aware in the slightest.

With a sigh, he followed Sasuke to his room, hoping to god that Naruto didn’t take his words the wrong way. Speaking of the loudmouthed blonde, he was currently having a flashback to what Gaara had told him the day before. About Neji liking Sasuke, and about Neji spending a lot of time near his crush lately.

Without anyone to anchor him, Naruto was left alone with his thoughts again. He began to come up with rather… dirty scenarios of what could be happening in the Uchiha’s room.  _ Oh my god. Is Sasuke top? Please tell me Sasuke’s top. I don't even want to see Sasuke being topped by another guy. Oh my god, he’s totally bottom. Is Sasuke even a virgin? Ah, this is driving me nuts! _

Back in Sasuke’s room, the two boys were completely unaware of the mental breakdown occurring outside, instead speaking to each other in hushed tones. “You want me to… what?”

~°~

Boruto walked out of his room with a refreshed smile on his face. He had managed to go a full day without any drama from his dad or his psychotic uncle. To make the day even better, all the bruises that were given to him (by we all know who) had faded away overnight.  _ Looks like I got my dad’s freakish healing abilities after all. _

Yes, today was a wonderful day, and nothing would ruin the one peaceful day he had gotten since traveling. Well, he spoke too soon. One look at the frozen blonde in the kitchen muttering to himself and the overflowing pot on the stove, Boruto immediately knew that today was going to be another drama filled day.

_ Yay.  _ Boruto cheered weakly in his head. With a sigh, he approached his father, frowning at the mess he created in the kitchen. Already feeling exhausted, Boruto grumbled to himself while turning off the stove. The young boy glanced at his father, sighing. He poked Naruto’s shoulder, calling the blonde’s attention to him.

In the softest voice he could muster, Boruto asked his dad what was wrong. Naruto looked at him, seemingly snapping back to his senses. The older blonde cast his eyes down, turning back to his ramen. “Nothing. It’s just Sasuke.” 

“What about him?” At this point Boruto was just waiting for his father to break out into a rant, and he wasn’t disappointed. After at least 12 minutes of standing in silence, Naruto finally spoke up. “You know, I would’ve been fine.” Boruto waited for him to continue.

“I would’ve been fine with Sasuke never being mine. I know he needed to revive his clan, and I respect that. I would have backed off all together, I really would’ve. But now that so many other people are coming into the picture, I-... I can’t seem to let him go.” Naruto chuckled dryly.

“It would’ve been fine if you were a girl you know. I would’ve been able to accept the fact that Sasuke was straight, and would never love me the way I love him. But I can’t- I just  _ can’t  _ accept the thought of him being with a guy that's not me. I know, I know it’s selfish. But I…” The blonde's eyes began welling up with tears.

Boruto smiled sadly down at his dad, who was now hunched over the kitchen counter, tears running down his face.  _ I’m so sorry dad. You must have suffered so much, having to watch the love of your life marry someone else, and then having to marry a woman yourself. I’m sorry for blaming you. I was upset and I needed someone to blame. Gomen, dad. I promise to appreciate you properly from now on.  _

Boruto pulled his dad into a hug, leading him into his room where he could cry on his shoulder without being interrupted. Boruto let him cry, patting his back and staying silent because, well he didn't know what else he could do. It seemed to have worked however, because within moments Naruto was fast asleep.

Noticing this, Boruto gently placed his dad on the bed, pulling the covers over him. With a sigh, he stood up and walked out of the room, softly closing the door behind him. Boruto decided to head back to his own room, and check on Naruto in the morning.

As he walked by Sasuke’s door though, he heard hushed voices whispering to each other. Curious, Boruto pressed his ear up to the door, listening in to what sounded like Sasuke and a foreign voice he didn’t recognize. 

“Oh come on Sasuke, don’t tell me you’ve never thought about this before. Can’t you at least entertain the possibility that you might be in love with Naruto?”

  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Eep! Sorry for the cliffhanger! Anyways I know I just updated yesterday, but I noticed that Boruto hadn’t appeared in the story for at least three chapters! I'm so sorry Boruto!!! Anyways I couldn't let that happen of course, so I accidentally ended up writing a whole nother chapter. Hope you enjoyed it!!


	18. Chapter 18

Sasuke flushed red, his hand pressed up against his face in an attempt to hide it. “What the hell? Why this so suddenly, Neji?” The raven hissed at the brunette. Neji sighed, adjusting his position on Sasuke’s bed. “I’m just saying, you get awful possessive over him for ‘just friends’. Are you sure you don’t harbor romantic feelings for Naruto?”

A wave of silence filled the room. Hyuuga waited impatiently for Sasuke’s answer.  _ Please, Sasuke. Please admit it to yourself, so I can crush the hope inside me once and for all. Realize that you love Naruto so you never have to realize how much I love you. _

Sasuke blushed, his face turning brighter than a strawberry. “L-love? Naruto? I don’t know what you are talking about. We’re too young to be thinking of love.” Neji mentally facepalmed at this. “Sasuke.” “Yes?” 

“Half the people in our age group are already married. Hell, even Shikamaru’s engaged, and to Temari no less! When are you going to admit that you’re in love with Naruto?” Sasuke frowned. “I-I can't be. I can't be in love with him. I have to restore my clan, I can’t- I can’t. I just can’t.”

“But Sasuke-” Sasuke held a hand up, interrupting him. “Neji. I’ve thought about this. Do you really think I'm so dense to not notice when I'm pining over someone? The dobe is all I think of, day and night.” The Uchiha fell quiet, his voice dropping to a whisper. “But I’m not a naive little kid anymore. Naruto’s been interested in girls his whole life. Hell, he’s been obsessed with Sakura since we were young.”

“Besides, even if he did like me back, it would never work out. I want to start my own family, and continue the Uchiha genes. I won't sit back and allow my clan to go extinct, and I can't do that and be with Naruto at the same time.” Sasuke glared at his sheets, fisting them. Neji could tell that he was hurting, and his eyes softened.

_ Well, I guess that’s my answer.  _ Neji nodded at Sasuke, speaking to him softly. “Hey Sasuke? I know you’ve thought about it already, but think about it some more. If Naruto were to like you back, would you really be willing to give him up for a random woman?” 

Neji got up abruptly, grabbing his stuff and turning his back towards Sasuke. “If the answer is yes, then I dont think it's any of your business what's going on with him.Think about that for a second.” On that note, Neji opened the door and calmly stepped out, causing Boruto to scurry back into the shadows. The raven sighed gently.  _ What a troublesome affair. _

The blonde was as quiet as he possibly could be, pressed up against the wall and processing the new information he had just collected. 

~°~

At Naruto’s room, Boruto was pacing back and forth, waiting for Naruto to wake up. Inside his head was a scramble of thoughts.  _ Oh my kami. Should I tell Naruto? I should tell Naruto. But what if me meddling leads to even bigger problems? But if I don't meddle then the exact same future will play out and I'll be stuck with depressed Naruto again.  _ Boruto shivered. After truly getting to know his dad, he never wanted to go back to the cold man that loved him from a distance. 

_ Should I tell him? On one hand, Sasuke would kill me, and on another, Naruto might actually get a chance to be with the love of his life. ARGH!  _ Boruto dropped to the ground, clutching his head.  _ What the hell should I do?? _

The boy sighed, and decided to wait until Naruto woke up. Determined, he planned out what was going to happen in his head.  _ Alright, so here's what I’m going to do. I'm going to wait until father wakes up, and then I’m going to ask him what he would do if Sasuke were to like him back. Wait, but wouldn't that make him sound suspicious? Argh, screw it.  _

_ This is so complicated. It's even worse than when I had to set Inojin and Shikadai up. Those two are too introverted for their own good.  _ Boruto chuckled at the fond memory, sent into a whirlpool of memories from the past, which sent him into a series of questions that can only be solved through experience. 

_ When I go back, I wonder if these memories would still be intact? Or will I not even exist? I wonder what I would do if I happened to kill someone, like Sasuke, and then in turn erase Sarada out of existence.  _ Boruto’s heart dropped at the thought.  _ No, I won't let that happen. I  _ can't  _ let that happen. _

Suddenly, the door opened with a creak, startling the blonde. “Naruto? A soft voice interrupted his thoughts. Without thinking, Boruto dove for the closet, hiding himself in the fresh smelling clothes. Hoping to Kami that Sasuke failed to notice him, he opened his eyes a crack, and witnessed a special sight indeed.

Sasuke was hovering over Naruto’s face, so close that their noses were almost touching. Stunned, Boruto could only watch as his uncle- no,  _ Sasuke-  _ pressed a hesitant kiss to his father's lips. When he rose off the bed, Boruto held his breath and watched as Sasuke walked out of the room, softly closing the door behind him.

Scrambling, Boruto ran out of the closet, stunned at what had just happened. A rustling of sheets caused him to whip his head around, only to be met with the sight of a greatly flushed Naruto, sitting up in bed with his hand pressed against his lips. 

Naruto held a dumbfounded look on his face, and then proceeded to stare at Boruto, his eyes full of questions. The words he said next only confirmed Boruto’s suspicions. 

“Boruto… You saw that too, right? It… it wasn't a dream?” Boruto just stared at his father. 

_ Shit. He was awake. _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> HIIII!!! Ok so, like, wow drama!!! Sorry, this chapter pushed a lotta info onto you at once lol. I probably should have warned you before you read it. But, then again, where's the fun in that?? 
> 
> Right. So before a bunch of comments start questioning what the hell I'm doing, Imma just let you know that yes, I know that Sasuke and Neji are all powerful shinobi and probably would have noticed the fact that Boruto twas eavesdropping. But for the sake of the story, Imma just came up with a half assed explanation and just say, uh, they were tired. 
> 
> Yup. That's all I got. Hope you enjoyed it!


	19. Chapter 19

_ Well on the bright side of things, I don't have to explain to dad that Sasuke likes him. On the other hand, now I’ll have to calm Naruto the fuck down before he loses control and destroys half the universe. Ahh, shit.  _ Boruto shook his head, gazing warily at Naruto’s dumbfounded face. 

“Listen, don't freak out, but-” “Don't freak out? Huh?” Naruto stared at his hands, shaking slightly. “I think… heh, I think it's a bit too late for that. I am very much freaking out right now.”

“I mean, Sasuke he- Why? He-” Naruto looked up at Boruto with wide eyes. “Why didn't he tell me? I- This changes everything. I have to talk to him, I have to-” The older blonde jumped out of bed, slightly stumbling. “Calm down.” Naruto looked up at him, glaring.

“Aha, you’re right. That was a dumb thing to say. How could you be calm in a situation like this? Um…” Boruto glanced at his father. “I’m not sure you should jump to conclusions yet though.” Upon hearing his words, the teen’s face adopted a horrified look. “Oh my god your right.”

“What if I misinterpreted this wrong? What if it’s just a fluke? I could have accidentally told Sasuke my feelings, and then I'll find out that it was a mistake, and he doesn't like me like that, and then things will be really awkward and then-” 

“NARUTO! Please, that's not what I meant.” Boruto sighed. Panicking blondes were really hard to deal with.  _ Is this how Sarada feels when I go off on one of my rants about dad?  _ He grimaced.  _ I'm so sorry, Sarada. I promise I’ll make it up to you when I get back. _

“Listen, Naruto. What I mean is that you shouldn't just up and confront him about this. I mean, I don't know Sasuke that well, but I know for a fact that if someone accused me of kissing them, I would clam up immediately. You’ll have to find the right time to bring this up.”

Slowly but surely, the blonde nodded. “Your right. I should break it to him slowly. I’ll invite him out tonight, and then I'll tell him what I know. I… I… I'll tell him I love him. Even if.. he doesn't like me back.” Boruto smiled softly. “Sounds like a plan.”

~°~

Neji sat on a black wooden stool. He was sitting at the bar, playing with an empty glass in front of him. He groaned, exasperated by the recent events.  _ Was I too harsh on him? I didn't mean to lecture him, I just wanted him to realize the extent of his feelings for Naruto. _

The brunette sighed, and called upon the bartender.  _ I need another drink.  _ “Hey, give me another shot.” The guy nodded, and left quickly to go fetch what the Hyuuga asked for. Neji half heartedly looked down at the glass still in his hands, mind placing the scene before he left on repeat.

“Back so soon?” A deep voice brought Neji out of his stupor, and he lazily glanced behind him. “Kazekage-sama.” “Please, call me Gaara.” The bartender came back with a new glass, filled to the brim with a strange amber liquid. Neji took a swig before bitterly asking, “What do you want?” Gaara tilted his head to the right. 

“I was just going to get a drink, but then I saw you near the bar. May I ask why? I’d have thought that you would want to stay away from liquor after what happened last time.” Neji scowled. “That's none of your business now, is it?” 

“You don't have to tell me if you don't want to. I was merely concerned for your wellbeing.” Neji snorted. “Yea well, you're the only one, apparently.” The redhead gazed at him, a small smile playing on his lips. “Alright. If you dislike my company that much, I'll leave.” 

The Kazekage turned his back to leave. “Wait.” He stopped, then turned around. “Yes?” The brunette looked away, unable to meet his eyes. Mumbling, he said, “You can stay. I don't really mind.” Gaara’s eyes softened and he let out a soft grin. “Alright.”

The redhead slipped into the seat next to Neji’s and called for the bartender, ordering something. The two sat in a comfortable silence for a while. After Gaara’s drink arrived, Neji spoke up. “So why are you still here? Usually when you visit Naruto you leave after a day.”   
  


The teen blinked at him, mildly surprised. “Im flattered, Hyuuga. I didn't know you cared enough to notice.” The brunette scoffed. “I’m not stupid. You’ve come over to visit Naruto so many times that I lost count. I was going to notice even if I wasn't trained in memorizing patterns. Also, cut that Hyuuga crap. If I’m going to call you Gaara, you might as well call me Neji.”

“Neji.” He smiled, testing the name on his lips. “Alright then,  _ Neji.  _ As for the reason I'm still here, I have business to attend to with your hokage.” The Hyuuga nodded. “Figured as much.” “Then why'd you ask?” Neji yawned, peering into his now empty cup. “Wanted to confirm it.” Gaara chuckled, greatly amused by the older’s drowsiness. 

The amusement quickly turned to him getting slightly flustered, though. Neji had finally dozed off and had apparently decided that Gaara’s shoulder would make a decent pillow. A pink tone to his face, Gaara shrugged the brunette off, laying his arm around his neck and proceeding to pick him up bridal style.

Smiling politely at the bartender, he paid for both their drinks, and carried the unconscious Hyuuga out the door.

In the morning, the Hyuuga woke up to a somewhat familiar smell. He burrowed into it subconsciously, before the rational part of his brain caught up and told him he wasn't in his own room. Neji shot up immediately, and met the eyes of an incredibly amused Gaara. 

“Good morning,  _ Neji.  _ We have really got to stop bumping into each other like this.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ahh, hii!! Uh right. So like, yay! GaaNeji! You'll probably be seeing a lot more of that soon, and maybe I'll even throw some SakuLee in once everything between Naruto and Sasuke calm down a bit. Hope you enjoyed today’s chapter!
> 
> Oh! Also… about that A/N I wrote a few days ago. Right, that sorta messed up the order of the chapters, so I deleted it. (If I had kept it, then Chapter 19 would have been Chapter 20, and that drives me nuts.) Right! Just wanted to let you know! Goodbye my beautiful pups~


	20. Chapter 20

Neji blinked slowly before his mind caught up to what was happening. Groaning, he covered his face with his hand and blushed in embarrassment. “Ah, I am  _ so  _ sorry Kazekage-sama. I don't know what came over me.” When the redhead didn't reply, he looked up, hoping he hadn’t offended the powerful figure. 

Much to his surprise, the Kazekage was looking at the ground, something resembling a pout on his face. “K- Kazekage-sama? Um, I-” “Gaara.” Neji froze. “I’m sorry?” “Yesterday I told you to call me Gaara.” 

Neji frowned. “That would be inappropriate seeing as you are-” Gaara cut him off again. “No. Call me Gaara.” Seeing as he wasn't going to let this up anytime soon, Neji gave in. “Alright. Gaara.” Besides, it wouldn't hurt to make a new friend.

The smallest of smiles crossed the redhead's face. “Would you like to use the shower?” A quick look at his clothes told him that he wasn't too dirty. Besides, he had used the Kazeka- er… _ Gaara’s  _ shower not two days ago. He didn't want to be a burden.

Neji politely declined the offer, missing the small flash of disappointment in Gaara’s eyes. “I’m sorry you had to bring me to your house. It was indecent, and it won't happen again.” Gaara nodded. “Alright. Would you at least stay for breakfast?” 

The Hyuuga opened his mouth to decline, but his stomach beat him to it, rumbling loudly. Blushing furiously, he nodded. “If I’m not too much of a bother.” Gaara’s lip twitched upward. “No problem. Make yourself at home.” With that, the redhead left the room, letting a low chuckle break out as soon as the door was safely closed behind him. Were all Hyuugas this adorable?

10 minutes later, the brunette emerged from the bedroom, tentatively sniffing the air. “Smell good?” Neji nodded and walked over to the table, sliding into a seat. Moments after he sat down, a plate of steaming hot dumplings were placed in front of him, coupled with a few slices of an orange. 

“I have to go meet the Hokage in a few minutes. Here.” Gaara gently took Neji’s hand and placed a ring of keys on his palm. “These are the keys to the house. When you're ready to leave just lock up on your way out ok?” Neji nodded, eyes still on the delicious plate in front of him.

The brunette picked up the fork and dug in, closing his eyes and letting the flavors dance on his tongue. If only he could eat homemade food every day. 

Once he finished, the Hyuuga placed the dishes in the sink, thoroughly washing them before putting them back up again. Gripping the keys in his hand, he walked out, locking the door behind him. Neji was halfway to his own apartment when he realized that he’d have to find a way to return the keys somehow.

Meanwhile, on his way to the Hokage's office, Gaara mentally gave himself a pat on the back. He didn't know what it was about the Hyuuga, but somehow, Neji made him want to conspire to bump into him more often. Giving his keys to the brunette was the perfect plan to ensure they see each other again.

Schooling his features into a stoic mask, Gaara approaches the Hokage’s door and knocks loudly. Almost immediately, Tsunade flung open the door, ushering Gaara into the room. The woman made a gesture to the seat across from her. The Kazekage sat, and silently handed the blonde a stack of files. 

The redhead let her flip through the files while he double checked the jutsus guarding the Hokage's office. Seeing that they were all intact and working, he let his shoulder’s relax. Tsunade threw the files she had skimmed onto the table, breaking the intense silence with a loud,  _ thump.  _

“That's all the information you got?” Gaara stared at her, his voice as cool as stone. “I’m afraid who we’re dealing with is good, very good. None of my men have been able to gather any information.” Tsunade groaned, massaging the bridge of her nose. 

“So we have nothing of use.” The tall blonde sighed. “Do we at least have a prediction of where he's going to strike next?” At this the redhead narrowed his eyes. “With all due respect ma’am, we don't even know if it’s a  _ he  _ or a  _ she. _ ” 

“What about the Akatsuki? Is there any possible way that a member isn't dead, and decided to try and avenge their comrades?” “No way at all. All the Akatsuki’s bodies have been taken into account. Though there is not any way of knowing where their souls currently are, no one but you has the resources to reincarnate them.”

Tsunade frowned. “Shoot.” With a grunt, she got up, tossing the files back to Gaara. “Alright then. That’s all. I would like for you to remain in Konoha for the time being, if that’s ok?” He nodded. “Of course.”

On his way to the door, Gaara stopped suddenly and turned around, facing the Hokage. “When are we going to tell him?” The woman looked away, furrowing her brows. A silence followed her movements. Sighing, Gaara bowed his head. “Very well. But he needs to know. I think that we should tell him sooner rather than later.”

Tsunade snorted, reaching for a sake bottle. “What do you expect me to say? ‘Hey, brat, thanks for the papers. By the way, did you know that an unknown nin has killed off all the other jinchuriki, and you and Gaara are next? No? Oh ok, keep that in mind.’” She took a swig of the alcohol, then gave Gaara a pointed look. 

“That isn't just something you can bring up in casual conversation. Besides, I would like to at least have some concrete information about this person before we make any rash decisions.” The Kazekage nodded, and wordlessly exited the office.


	21. Chapter 21

“Boruto help me! I’m freaking out! What do I even say?” Boruto groaned at his father pacing around the room. “Chill! You’ll be fine. Just remember the plan.” Nervous, Naruto kept adjusting the collar of his shirt. Boruto took a deep breath before grabbing his arm and telling him to stop.

“Naruto. Please calm down. Everything is going to be ok.” Boruto spun the older blonde around so that they were facing each other. With an exasperated sigh, he gripped the other’s shoulder blades, staring at him intensely. “Deep breaths, Naruto. Deep breaths.” 

After a few unbearable seconds, Naruto calmed down. With a shuddering sigh, he gripped Boruto’s hand ever so slightly, indicating that he was ready. Eyes analyzing the man for any sign of panic, Boruto reluctantly let go. “Ok. You good?” 

“Ah, uh, yea.” Naruto let out a breathy laugh. “As ready as I’ll ever be, I suppose.” Boruto grinned. “Go get him, D- Naruto.” Giving him a questioning look, Naruto purposefully walked forward, opening the door and stepping outside. Three seconds later, the blonde stepped back inside, closing the door behind him. “I can't do it.”

Boruto groaned, letting his face fall into his hands. “For Kami’s sake, just walk over there and start screaming at him! According to Sasuke, you’re very good at that.” At least he had the decency to look ashamed. Sighing once again, Boruto grabbed his arm and ran out the door, dragging a protesting Naruto behind him. 

Once Boruto arrived at his destination, he quickly stepped inside, searching for the Uchiha’s chakra signature.  _ Got it.  _ Boruto headed straight for the raven, still towing a protesting blonde behind him. Quickly locating the room Sasuke’s chakra was coming from he stepped inside without knocking, mildly surprised when he saw the same guy he was spying on the other night.

“Ah, hey. Um, I have to discuss something with Sasuke?” The brunette nodded, heading out the door. Right after he left, Sasuke fixated a steady glare on Boruto. “What is it?” Deciding that he didn't want to deal with anymore drama, Boruto shoved Naruto at Sasuke and quickly walked away, shooting an “He’s your problem now!” at them. As soon as there was a wall separating him and the chaotic couple, Boruto let out a sigh of relief.

Meanwhile, inside the room, Sasuke was still fuming from his previous conversation with Neji. Spotting Naruto’s troubled face, however, he forced himself to calm down. Taking many deep breaths, Sasuke pinched the bridge of his nose. “Naruto. What do you want?” 

The blonde said nothing, too occupied by his thoughts of what might happen. Eventually the silence became too much to bear, and Sasuke (very calmly) yelled, “Naruto please! What is it?” The raven was not prepared for what came out of his mouth next. 

You see, Naruto often came to him to complain, or ask advice about mundane things, such as how the ramen shop was closed, or how Gaara was late again. Never once did he imagine, or even suspect to have heard Naruto say those words. “Listen Sasuke, about last night, um. I was sorta, awake when you kissed me. And, uh, I think we need to talk.” The Uchihas mind went on complete shutdown.  _ I’m sorry what? No. This can't be happening. I was so sure he was asleep. Shit. That talk with Neji must've thrown me off. I can't believe I didn't notice. Shit, shit, shit.  _

_ Ok calm down Sasuke. Knowing Naruto, you can probably convince him that it was just a joke between friends.  _ Satisfied with his conclusion, and at ease now that he had a plan, Sasuke took a deep breath and schooled his features over. 

While he had been waiting, Naruto had been giddy with silence, many repressed feelings bubbling up inside of him. He decided that the prolonged hesitation could only mean one thing. However, as soon as Sasuke's shocked face froze over again, the blonde's heart dropped. He knew that Sasuke was going to deny it. Overwhelmed by years of bottled up feelings, Naruto did the only thing he could think of doing. 

He lunged forward and captured Sasuke’s lips in a light kiss. No sooner than he had kissed him was he pushed away. Sasuke was blushing a furious red. “W-wha?” Unable to come up with anything to say, the Uchiha rushed out of the room, leaving a flabbergasted Naruto behind. 

The blonde fell to his knees, and a huge grin spread across his face.  _ He kissed back. It might’ve just been for a second, but he did.  _ Grinning wider than the Cheshire cat, Naruto jumped to his feet and ran after Sasuke, shoving through anything and everything in his path.  _ I have to tell him I love him. I have to let him know I feel the same.  _ Those words were like a broken record playing in his mind over and over again.

Naruto followed Sasuke into the forest, where he knew he would find the raven sulking by their favorite stream. Before he knew it, about a mile from his destination, a cloaked figure landed right in front of him. The person was dressed in all black, and every strip of skin was tucked away beneath the cloak he was wearing. Even the hand he used to take out a kunai was covered with a dark glove. 

Wait what? Naruto barely jumped in time to avoid the kunai sent his way. Narrowing his eyes at the figure, he concluded that whomever this was, they were an enemy. Therefore, he is cleared to attack and defend himself. Jumping and twisting through the trees, the blonde narrowly avoided the barricade of kunai’s sent his way. As soon as he saw his opening, he lunged, aiming a low kick at the other’s legs. 

The black figure dodged, and Naruto was sent skidding across the dirt. Spotting a punch coming towards his face, the blonde quickly rolled to the side, countering with a kick to the stomach. As soon as he got up, Naruto attempted to call upon his chakra, and take in this person for questioning. Before he could, the figure hastily sent a high kick to his neck, forcing him to abandon the hand signs and block. 

_ Shit. This guy hits hard.  _ The two nin continued striking blow after blow on each other, neither wavering in their stance. Dodging and punching his opponent, Naruto fell into a routine and let his instincts take over. However, he missed the uppercut sent his way and ended up sprawled across the ground. Before he could get up, the opposing figure stuck a type of syringe into his neck. Feeling weaker and weaker, Naruto could just barely make out a faint voice calling his name desperately right before the world went black.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oop. I give you de drama. Welp, things are gon get pretty messy from here on out. Uh, good luck my wonderful pups, and hang on tight!


	22. Chapter 22

Naruto blinked his eyes open, finding himself staring up at a dull white ceiling. Groaning, he sat up, finding himself in a hospital room. Frowning, he noticed a heavy weight on his leg. Thinking that it was either Boruto or Kiba, he got ready to push the unwelcome weight off. As he turned his head towards the body next to him, his heart skipped a beat.

_ The  _ Sasuke Uchiha was peacefully resting his head on Naruto’s leg, hair splayed out behind him. Seeing Sasuke’s relaxed face, all the plans Naruto had to leave the hospital vanished faster than a snap. After all, how could he disturb such a peaceful boy in his slumber?

A few minutes passed with silence. Sasuke was sleeping with his lips parted open, and the blonde next to him was drinking up the sight. The silence didn't last for long. Shortly after Naruto gathered up the courage to touch Sasuke’s face, Tsunade burst in, narrowing her eyes at Naruto, who yanked his hand away from the raven.

Skeptical, she looked him up and down. “How long have you been up?” Naruto slightly relaxed his posture, and thought about her question. “Uh, for about 10 minutes now?” Tsunade's eyes bulged. “Ten? Naruto, that's a new record! How come you haven't tried to leave yet?” Naruto blushed, shifting his legs.

The slight movement stirred Sasuke, who lazily blinked his eyes open. Noticing the brunette in the room, Tsunade turned to Naruto, mouth gaping. “Did you? You stayed still so Sasuke could  _ sleep _ ?” The blonde looked away, and Tsunade shook her head. “Whatever. At least now we have a way to keep you still when you're in the hospital.” 

At this point Sasuke was fully awake, and he groggily sat up, eyes flitting around the room. After determining he was not in danger, the raven stretched his arms above his head, arching his back. This action revealed a small strip of skin under Sasuke’s shirt, which effectively distracted Naruto from whatever Tsunade had begun to say. 

Of course, this did not go unnoticed by the doctor. Just as Tsunade was about to ask what was so distracting, she noticed Naruto staring hungrily at Sasukes exposed waist. Groaning, she dropped her face into her hands. “Sasuke.” She mumbled. “Get out.” 

Giving her a curious look, Sasuke complied, sitting up and walking out of the room, causing the shirt’s fabric to fall back over his skin. Naruto let out a little whine, and was about to get up to follow his raven when Tsunade bonked him on the head. Ticked off, she snapped, “Listen up brat, I’ll make this quick so you can get back to your little boyfriend.” 

Hearing what she said, Naruto turned a bright red. “Wha? He- no. Hes not-” “Save it. Just tell me what you remember from yesterday.”  _ Yesterday? What happened yesterday?  _ Naruto racked his brain for a clue.  _ Oh right. Yesterday I confronted Sasuke. He ran, and I gave chase. And then…  _ Naruto’s body tensed. “There was a cloaked ninja attacking me. I couldn't see their face, but they stuck something in me, and it knocked me out.”

  
Tsunade took out a notepad, twirling around her pen before jotting down some notes. “Alright, what else do you know?” Naruto frowned. “I’m not sure, it all happened so fast. When the guy stuck that syringe in me, I was unable to access any of my or kyuubi’s chakra. Does that help?” The Hokage nodded, muttering under her breath. “That explains how they were able to beat the rest of them.”

At this Naruto began to grow concerned. “The rest of them? Baa-chan what? What's going on? Is Konoha under attack?” Sighing, Tsunade pinched the bridge of her nose and sat down on the bed. Taking a deep breath, she began to talk. “About a month ago, an unknown figure began attacking jinchuriki. He began killing them off one by one, using unknown methods. All we know about him is that he’s either incredibly strong, or incredibly sneaky, and he always wears a black cloak that covers the entirety of his body.”

Shocked, Naruto could barely breathe. “W-what?” “Naruto listen to me. I know you were friends with many of the-” Naruto interrupted her. “Are they dead? Are the- Are they dead?” Tsunade gritted her teeth, nodding grimly. “You’re the only one so far who’s survived his encounter. And that was only because Sasuke got to you in time. Had he not been there…” The Hokage clenched her jaw, angry at herself for letting Naruto out of her sights.

Gulping, Naruto pulled his hands into fists. “Wh- what do we do now?” Tsunade frowned, knowing that the blonde would protest what she’s about to say. “I want you to do nothing. In fact, I  _ order  _ you to do nothing. I want you to stay in the Uchiha compound while I take care of this.” “BUT-” “No buts.” Tsunade says sternly. “That is an order, Uzumaki.” 

Naruto scowled, looking away. “It's for your own good Naruto. I know you're upset that this man killed your friends, but you have to stay safe. We can't risk losing you.” With a gulp, Tsunade swallowed her next words.  _ I can't risk losing you.  _ With a sigh, Naruto gave in. “What about Gaara?” With a breath of relief, the Hokage replied.

“Gaara will be staying in Konoha for the time being. With both of the last two jinchuriki’s, the killer will be forced to target Konoha. We’ll monitor your every move with Anbu. From what Sasuke’s told me, the killer only attacks when you are alone. As soon as Sasuke arrived, he began to flee. We will use that to our advantage.” Tsunade switched back to doctor mode. 

“Your injuries weren't severe. However, you seemed to have lost control of your chakra channels. For the time being, you won't be able to use chakra at all. That's why I want you to stick to Sasuke as much as possible. That shouldn't be too hard since you live together. In order to be cautious, I’d like you and Sasuke to sleep in the same room. We don't know if the killer will attack you in your house, and if he does, then you’ll have no way of protecting yourself.”

Naruto nodded, dazed. He had stopped listening at ‘Share a room with Sasuke.’ Satisfied, Tsunade got up. “You’re free to go, brat. Be careful.” Still, in a trance, Naruto got up and walked out the door, bumping into Sasuke on the way. “Dobe. What did she say?” Blinking at his words,  Naruto crashed back into the real world. “Ah, I’ll tell you at home.” Narrowing his eyes, Sasuke nodded. The couple headed back to their house, both quiet on the way there. 

~°~

Hinata was walking around the village, smiling at the beautiful lights encasing the buildings. She gave a soft smile as she looked up, the stars twinkling against the pitch black sky. Giggling, she walked around some more, exploring the place she had some to know so well over the years. Ever since Neji screamed at her father and left the clan, her entire world changed. 

She witnessed first hand her father breaking down in shame, and over the years, the man had begun to make up for her hard childhood. She was given the freedom to roam about Konoha as she pleased, and her father allowed her the right to marry whomever she chooses, as long as she truly loves them. Hinata already knew who she wanted to marry.

A soft smile graced her face as she thought about the loud, bustling blonde who’s been in her heart since day one. Sighing, she turned around, her long, ebony hair flowing behind her. Speaking of Naruto, where was he? Ever since the girl had confessed her love, the blonde was nowhere to be seen. Hinata lowered her eyes to the ground, spotting a bright yellow flower in the grass. 

Smiling, she picked it up, spinning it between her fingers. It’s not as if she ever expected Naruto to love her back. Though she hoped that Neji’s near death had brought them closer, she wasn’t as naive as to think that he had fallen in love with her over that. In fact, she was positive it hadn’t. Hinata walked around the village some more, fingering the flower in her hand. 

Somewhere along the line, she spotted a familiar head of blonde hair. With a small smile, she followed him, stopping in her tracks when she saw another person beside him. It was Sasuke. The two boys were walking in silence, but Hinata spotted the longing looks they sent to each other when the other wasn't looking. 

“Ah.” Hinata stood there for a while, and the flower in her hand fluttered to the ground. Surprisingly, she didn't feel too upset. She was sad, and seeing Naruto with another tugged at her heart. But it was ok. It's not like she had expected her love to take her anywhere anyways. But it still hurt.

Hinata smiled sadly, and turned around, wanting to leave Naruto alone with Sasuke. Unfortunately, she wasn't looking where she was going and ended up crashing into someone. She immediately apologized, looking up at the person she had crashed into. It came as no surprise when the other loud, reckless guy she knew smiled and shrugged it off.

“Neh, it's fine Hinata! You look a little down! You wanna go get some ramen with me?” Kiba beamed at her, holding out his hand. Surprised, Hinata let out a small giggle. “Of course, Kiba! Should we go now?” “Yea! Why not?” Grinning, he bowed extravagantly and held out his arm to Hinata. “You ready to go, my lady?” Giggling again, Hinata beamed, taking his arm after a short curtsy. “Of course, my gentlemen.”

  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alright, so HI! I'm back lol. Originally I wasn't going to update today but then some stuff happened and I ended up writing a lot lol. 
> 
> As an apology for updating late, I wrote a little bonus for Hinata. I won't be going too deep into KibaHina in this story, and this is probably the only time you'll see them in depth. The rest of the story you’ll probably just get a few glimpses of them, so enjoy it while you can!
> 
> Ah right, about the whole Neji screaming at the Hyuuga head and leaving the clan thing. Fear not, for I will be going deeper into that later, but in Neji’s POV instead of Hina’s. Anyway, I hope you enjoyed it!!! Goodbye, my pups!


	23. Chapter 23

Sasuke hesitantly stepped into the house. As soon as Naruto closed the door, he cornered him. With a grunt, he pinned the blonde to the door, his forearm keeping the other teen’s chest in place. “Alright dobe. What the hell did she say?” With a noticeable gulp, Naruto turned away, choosing to stay silent for the time being. 

Letting out a small growl, Sasuke pushed up against Naruto, nearly shoving him through the door. “What the hell happened that got you so upset?” Gulping, Naruto finally replied. “Do you have to be so violent all the time?” Seeing the raven’s unamused face, he continued meekly. “She uh, told me that I wasn't allowed to do anything about the guy hunting me down.” Raising an elegant eyebrow, Sasuke loosened his hold, allowing Naruto to take a deep breath. 

“That's to be expected. Why are you acting so weird if that's all it was?” It was a subtle accusation, and it made the blonde sweat nervously. “You aren’t gonna like it.” Narrowing his eyes, Sasuke responded with, “Try me.” “She wants us to sleep in the same room until everything has settled down.” 

“Yea, ok. What's the problem? We’ve slept in the same bed before on missions.” Naruto didn't say anything, instead choosing to stare at the floor. The raven’s eyes widened in realization, before narrowing in hurt. “So that’s what this is about.” Abruptly, the force keeping Naruto pinned to the door let go, leaving the blonde to lean against the slab of wood and briefly collect his thoughts. 

“I get it. You’re upset about the kiss.” Hissing, Sasuke whirled around, calling over his shoulder, “Don’t worry Naruto. I'll sleep on the floor. It won't ever happen again.” Shocked, Naruto tried to call out to him. “Sasuke wai-” Before he could finish his sentence, the sound of a door slamming closed reached his ears. 

Frowning, the teen quickly ran up to Sasuke’s bedroom door. “Sasuke wait up! Stop being such a bastard!” Naruto tried at the handle, nearly rolling his eyes when he found it was locked. “Teme.” He murmured. Adopting a determined face, Naruto took a few steps back before ramming his foot into the door. 

To his delight, the entire thing was blasted off its hinges, landing on the floor with a thud. A shocked Sasuke was standing in the middle of the room. With one glance at Naruto the shocked face was replaced by a furious one. “Naruto what the hell? You just destroyed my door!” Lazily glancing at the now useless slab of wood on the ground, the blonde did nothing more than shrug. 

Naruto was mad. His thoughts were angrily ranting at the Uchiha  _ Bastard. And you call me the stupid one? You’re the one who decided to run off before I get the chance to say anything at all.  _ Feeling a bout of incoming anger, the Hokage to-be developed a surge of arrogance. A newly established confidence by his side, a new side of Naruto inevitably came out.

Cockily looking up at Sasuke, Naruto smirked. “You won't be needing it, right? After all, you’ll be sleeping in my room from now on.” Before Sasuke could say anything, Naruto quickly stepped forward. “By the way, Uchiha, you never did give me an answer.” Naruto kept moving forward, aware that he was stepping into dangerous territory.

“So tell me, teme. Why did you kiss me that night?” To his surprise, Sasuke didn't immediately punch him in the face. Instead the raven just stood there, all senses on alert. Naruto was really close now. So close that if Sasuke just leaned a bit closer, they would probably touch lips.

Seemingly paralyzed, Sasuke did nothing as Naruto raised a hand to his chin, grasping it gently between two fingers. Naruto’s eyes flickered down to his lips, and the blonde grinned predatorily. “Say Sasuke, do you want to kiss me again?” 

When Sasuke did nothing, Naruto swiftly closed the space in between them, pressing his lips against Sasuke’s. As if just realizing what he was doing, blue eyes flew open in shock and he pulled back. “I-...” 

Furiously blushing, the raven in front of him seemed to have regained movement in his legs. WIthout saying anything, Sasuke hastily left the room, leaving Naruto alone with his thoughts. 

_ Did I really just do that? Holy shit. And Sasuke let me? I was so sure he was going to kill me after I just destroyed his room door like that.  _ The blonde took a few steps backwards, leaning his back on the wall. Slowly, he slid down to the floor, his mind providing him with many images of the recent events, and giving him even more of where that situation could have gone had he not stopped himself in time. 

Meanwhile, Sasuke was internally freaking out.  _ What the hell was that?  _ It was like Naruto had suddenly become a predatory animal. Where had the stumbling dobe gone, and who in the world took his place?  _ More importantly, how much, and exactly what does he know? _ Sasuke found himself knocking on Boruto’s door.

A disheveled Boruto answered. His blonde hair was a mess, strands sticking out all over the place. In fact, Boruto looked almost exactly like Naruto in that moment. Deciding not to think too much of it, Sasuke stepped in hastily. “Sasuke? What are you-” He interrupted himself with a yawn. “What are you doing here?”

“I need to talk to you about something of great importance.” Looking confused, the blonde just nodded, flopping back down on his messy bed. “Aight, I'm listening.” Scrunching his nose in disgust, the raven gingerly sat down on a nearby chair.  _ This place is a mess. If this stranger is going to be staying any longer in my house I’ll have to teach him some proper etiquette.  _ “Boruto. Over the past few days I noticed you were… close… to Naruto. He confides in you and trusts you.”

Pausing, the Uchiha muttered under his breath. “For what reason I will never understand.” Boruto scowled. He heard that. Clearing his throat Sasuke continued. “The point is, you’re close to Naruto, so tell me what he knows of my…  _ feelings _ regarding him.” Stopping in the middle of fluffing his pillow, Boruto turned to look at him, disbelief apparent on his face. 

“You, Sasuke Uchiha, came to ask me for love advice regarding your best friend.” Growing annoyed, Sasuke stood abruptly. “Just tell me what he knows. Today he confronted me about my having kissed him earlier, and I want to know how many times he was awake when I did that.” Boruto’s brain was still groggy from having been awoken, and therefore was slow in processing what had just been said.

Slowly, Boruto managed to speak, “You have kissed Naruto more than… once?” As if just realizing what he had admitted to, the raven froze, a slight feeling of panic flickering through his eyes. “You- you didn't know.” At this point Boruto was openly gaping. “You? What? Who are you and what have you done with Uncl- I mean Sasuke?”

Glaring, Sasuke turned away, blush apparent on his face. “J-just forget it. It’s nothing.” Before Sasuke could move away from the blonde, Boruto quickly grabbed his arm. “Sasuke, how long have you been in love with my father?” Realizing his slip up, Boruto quickly let go of the raven. Thankfully, Sasuke hadn’t noticed. Instead, blushing like a teenage girl, he replied with, “Ever since the day we fought at the Valley of the End. I don't know, why am I telling you this?”

Face still a furious red, Sasuke flinched away from the other boy. “Why am I even here? I obviously just created more trouble for myself. Don't worry, I’ll see myself out.” With that, Sasuke stomped out the room. (Elegantly of course, because an Uchiha  _ doesn't  _ trudge.) Leaving Boruto to immediately race out the door and let Naruto know of this newfound information.

Naruto was still sitting on the floor when Boruto arrived. Noticing the door on the ground(and lack of one in the doorframe), he gave the older blonde a curious look. Deciding against asking what happened, Boruto took a seat next to the blonde, glancing at him out of the corner of his eye.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey! I know this was an abrupt end, but I have something to tell you guys. I know that I haven't updated in a while, and I’m so sorry! But a bunch of things came up during Thanksgiving and I was occupied with other things. 
> 
> That being said, I have to stop writing WCB every week. Usually I give you guys an update every week, and I cannot do that anymore. Instead, the updates will be irregular, and maybe longer. I won't be able to update WCB regularly until January at the least. I'M SO SORRY!!  
> I just wanted you guys to know, so that when i stop updating, you guys don't think I’ve given up on this work!! I won't ever give up on this work, I really enjoy writing it, and I definitely enjoy reading all your comments! Hell, I even have a sequel planned out! (Sorta, I'm still working it out.)
> 
> That being said, I hope you enjoyed this chapter, and please dont panic if I don't update this month! I promise I’ll update next year! (As an extra apology, today’s chapter was longer than usual ;p)


	24. Chapter 24

The two blondes sat in silence, neither of them making an attempt to speak. After a few minutes, Naruto lifted his head to glance at Boruto. “Do you have something to say?” Surprised, Boruto hesitantly opened his mouth. “Um, is this not a good time?”

Boruto’s words brought up memories of what Naruto had done, causing him to flush red. “Just a bit embarrassed.” Frowning, Boruto shifted his gaze to the ground. Simultaneously the two boys spoke up, talking over each other.

“I kissed Sasuke.”

“Sasuke’s in love with you.” 

Shocked, Naruto jumped to his feet. “You-  _ what?  _ How do you-?” “A-ah. Sasuke told me.” Flabbergasted, Naruto could only stare at the younger blonde, mouth gaping. “He  _ what _ ? Why would he-?” Boruto hastily crawled to his feet, not wanting to be the only one left standing.

“I’m uh, not actually sure he was in the right mindset when he told me. He seemed sort of lost, wanting someone to blame and someone to lean on at the same time. It kinda reminds-” The young teen cut himself off before he could say any more.  _ It kinda reminds me of me when I was younger. _

“Ah, um, point is, he was sorta lost and made a bunch of mistakes, and it ended up slipping out.” Naruto nodded dumbly, unable to comprehend anything besides the fact that Sasuke-  _ Sasuke-  _ was in love with him, or so this person claims. Come to think of it, it had already been a  week since Boruto appeared out of nowhere. 

“Say Boruto, do you remember anything about-”  _ CRASH!  _

~°~

Neji looked up at the building in front of him, butterflies churning in his stomach.  _ What in the world compelled me to come here?  _ With a sigh, he thought might as well get over it, and quickly inserted the key Gaara gave him into the lock, quietly stepping inside.

“Kazekage-sama? Are you there?” No answer. Mentally chastising himself for not seeking out Gaara’s chakra signature, the brunette pondered what to do while he was here. 

“Have you come to return my keys?” Neji jumped, spinning around and automatically directing the path of his kunai to the offender’s neck. The kunai missed. Or rather, it was caught. Before Neji could attack further, he came face to face with familiar red hair.

“Kazekage-sama. I apologize, I did not notice you there.” Somewhat amused, the redhead nodded, and then out of curiosity, tilted his head to the side. “You were unaware that I was here? Aren’t you a shinobi? And a Hyuuga at that. Aren’t they an extremely reformed clan?” 

Gritting his teeth, the brunette took a step back. “I apologize for my rudeness, but that’s none of your business sir. I’ve just had a couple of things weighing on my mind recently.” Startled with the sudden abruptness, Gaara blinked, confused. “Did something I said offend you?” 

Exasperated, Neji raised a hand to his forehead, pressing his cool palm down on it. “No, no, I apologize. I haven’t been myself lately. Like I said, I’m just going through some stuff right now.” 

“Must you be so formal? After all, you’ve been drunk in front of me two times now. I’d like to think we are something resembling friends, are we not?” Keeping his head down, Neji shot a glare at the redhead. The bastard was teasing him. However, before he could open his mouth to retort, Gaara beat him to it. 

“Would you like a cup of tea? Or perhaps some food? I can make something.” As if right on cue, Neji’s stomach let out a low growl. Blushing, he ducked his head and sheepishly nodded. 

Gaara motioned for Neji to take a seat, a slightly smug grin on his face. “Alright then, what would you like? Tomato and egg soup? I know an extraordinary recipe that my sister taught me.” Still embarrassed over his earlier slip up, Neji merely nodded again, and the two of them sat in silence. 

After a couple of minutes, Neji’s mind began to wander. Lifting his head up, he nonchalantly gazed around at his surroundings. Nothing was to be heard besides the calm sizzle of the tomatoes in the pan, and it was really rather comforting, to say the least. 

It wasn't long before the natural warmth of the place started to lull Neji to a dreamless sleep. As Gaara glanced backwards to inform him the food was almost finished, he was brought face to face with a dozing brunette, of which had his head tilted back onto the seat in what looked to be an uncomfortable position. 

Something about the domestic sight warmed Gaara’s insides. With a light smile, the redhead expertly dumped the thoroughly cooked food into a small serving dish, gently placing it on the table. 

Just as he was pondering what to do about the sleeping boy on his chair, said boy stirred, brought awake with the smell of delicious food. Spotting him, Gaara gave a light grin, sliding a bowl into Neji’s hand. 

Groggy with sleep, Neji curiously ran his fingers over the bowl, before grabbing the spoon laying next to it. Eyeing the sweet smelling dish in front of him, the brunette reluctantly tore away his eyes to give Gaara a questioning glance. 

When he was met with a small curve of the lips, he hastily dug into the food, spooning heaps and heaps of it into his bowl. Neji quickly shoved a spoonful of piping hot tomatoes into his mouth and swallowed, the fruit leaving a light tangy taste unto his tongue. 

As he savored the meal sent from heaven, Neji’s first thoughts jumped to Sasuke.  _ I bet the bastard would love this. After all, he was always obsessed with tomatoes.  _ As always these days when he thought of Sasuke, he was bitterly reminded of the boy's confession to loving Naruto a couple of days back. 

Suddenly the food he was eating didn't taste so heavenly anymore. Cautiously, the brunette swallowed the mouthful of food he currently had, then wearily gazed at the bowl in front of him, still stock full of soup. 

Noticing his sudden hesitance, Gaara curiously brought his own spoon to his mouth. Upon not tasting anything out of the ordinary, he gave Neji a questioning look out of the corner of his eye. Swallowing his food, he decided to speak up, facing Neji, who was still glaring at the food for reminding him of the boy he loved. 

“Is there something wrong?” Surprised, the brunette's eyes shot up. A light blush coated his face, and he gave Gaara a small shake of his head, forcing himself to dive back into the soup.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ayy, I’m back and better than ever! Haha, betya thought I was gone for good. Well too bad, you can't drive me off that easily. Lol jk. Having a break was extremely refreshing? I got to get so many different points of views on what I should do to improve the story, as well as how the plot should go. (Can I just say it’s unsettling when people you know turn out to have read your story?) 
> 
> However, I couldn't stay away for long! I harbored so many ideas buzzing around in my head, and I just had to get them down on paper. Anyways, I am proud to say that OKOMI IS BACKK!! And will be regularly updating once a week once again. 
> 
> Ah, its so good to be back! Ill see you guys next week! Or maybe this week. Who knows, I still got tons of stuff in my head I’m dying to write.


	25. Chapter 25

Sasuke was tired. After all, that's the only word he knows that can describe what he’s feeling. He felt drained of all the energy that he never had in the first place.

Groaning, the raven beat the side of his head, muttering how stupid the world was. Eventually, he got tired of it. He seemed to get tired of a lot of things in life. Sighing, Sasuke let his mind wander.  _ Not Naruto.  _ He thought. _ I'd never get tired of Naruto.  _

With a small exhale, Sasuke let himself fall back to the ground. If felt like everyone was moving on, while he was still stuck in the past. Naruto was asked out by Hinata, that he heard while eavesdropping on Sakura and Ino’s conversation. Well, in his defense, those two never stopped gossiping, and don't really know the definition of whisper.

Sakura had broken up with him. Well, I suppose that wasn't anything to be too surprised about. Especially since there wasn't ever really any real love between the two. But Sakura was moving on. He could tell. Her steps seemed lighter, and she was happy. He was happy for her too. That doesn't mean he's not stuck in their past though. 

_ I wonder, what would it have been like to marry Sakura?  _ He created a mental slideshow, of him kissing her, crawling into her bed at night, and hugging her until her breathing draws him to a dreamless sleep.  _ It would have hurt.  _ He thought.  _ I would have been trapped. _

But he still feels trapped. He doesn't belong here. Not with happy laughter and bright smiles and blonde hair. Not with  _ Naruto.  _

No matter how hard he tries, he’ll never be happy. Especially not since Naruto found out about his stupid,  _ stupid _ , little crush. He’s broken, and even if Naruto does love him in spite of that, he can't be with Naruto. Because he’ll end up breaking him too. 

Naruto should be with someone like Hinata. Someone who can make him smile and give him children. Not someone like him, who’ll hurt Naruto again. Who’ll hurt Naruto to the point where his smile-  _ that gorgeous smile of his-  _ will permanently fall off his face.

And he’d never risk that. Naruto should stay smiling forever. Because Sasuke needs- no the  _ whole world  _ needs their sun to shine bright. And Sasuke will only be trouble. He always is.  _ And he couldn't live with himself if he hurt him again.  _

_ Maybe I should just leave. Naruto will get over it, eventually.  _ Abruptly he let out a dry laugh. Who was he kidding? Naruto would just drag his sorry ass right back to Konoha. And he’d let him. Because he never could say no to that bright smile and sea blue eyes. 

No, he can't leave. But he can't stay either. “Well that’s quite a predicament you got yourself into.” Whipping his head around, Sasuke found himself face to face with the one other person who refuses to leave him be. Shooting the other man a glare, he growled out, “Neji.” 

Neji let out a short laugh, then positioned himself so he could plop down right next to the raven. “Your thoughts were too loud. I thought I would come over and distract you for a second.” 

“I was thinking out loud?” The brunette grinned. “Only loud enough for the entire village to hear all about your poor, unrequited love. Sasuke dropped his head into his hands and groaned, ignoring Neji’s snicker next to him. 

The couple fell into a comfortable silence. After a while, Sasuke slowly sat up, scooting closer to the brunette next to him. He was tired. Tired of watching everyone get married around him. Tired of the distrusting looks the villagers keep throwing his way. Tired of watching Sakura and wondering if the reason she left was because she finally realized he wasn't good enough for her. Tired of thinking about Naruto and Hinata and what a good couple they would be. Just tired.

And so he finally let himself fall. After all, who cares anymore? He’s tired of trying to prove that he’s changed to the people of Konoha. They never apologized for idolizing him as a bystander instead of standing up and helping him, and giving him a reason to live. So why should he?

Sasuke’s head fell onto Neji’s shoulder, and he closed his eyes. Within minutes he was fast asleep. And Neji was left gaping at the soft, content expression on the raven’s face. 

~°~

- _ CRASH!  _

Startled, the two shinobi whipped around to the source of the sound. Naruto automatically jumped back, grabbing a couple of kunai and launching them at the figure. Next to him, Boruto reacted a bit slower, twisting away from the dozens of senbons the enemy threw towards him. 

A good distance away from the mystery person now, the blondes allowed themselves a quick glance at the person that attacked them. Naruto’s breath hitched in recognition as he came face to face with the person who attacked him less than a day ago.

Standing next to the window was a black silhouette, glass shards scattered around his feet. The culprit took one look at Boruto, then immediately ran straight for Naruto, deeming the younger blonde unimportant. Startled, he leaped back, trying, and failing, at activating his chakra. 

“Shit!” Naruto cursed, and turned his gaze back to the intruder in front of him. “Boruto what the hell are you doing? Help me fight this annoying creep!” Naruto’s words spurred him into action, and Boruto snapped out of his shocked daze, lunging at the person advancing on his father. 

The ‘creep’ was experienced. He could tell by the way the other seamlessly dodged his fists, almost bored with the lack of effort it took. It reminded him of one of the rare times when Uncle Sasuke would agree to train with him. Growing frustrated, Boruto jumped back, gracefully landing on his toes next to Naruto. 

Both the Uzumaki’s were irritated. Boruto was so close to saying screw it and making a rasengan when another loud crash interrupted his thoughts. This time the wall was destroyed, an extremely pissed off Gaara making his entrance. 

Spotting the Kazekage, the black cloaked figure inched backwards, before hastily making his escape. The redhead glanced between the retreating enemy and Naruto, eventually deciding the blonde was of greater importance. 

Gaara leant down to examine the older blonde, shoulders relaxing once he saw that the knucklehead had gotten less than a scratch on him. Extending a hand, the Kazekage helped Naruto to his feet, before hissing at him.

“Where the hell was Sasuke?” Sheepishly, the teen scratched the back of his head, turning his eye towards the ground. “We sorta had a fight. He stormed out and ran off somewhere.” The redhead narrowed his eyes, clearly not happy with this predicament. “Tsunade should have assigned someone else to watch over you. You and Sasuke argue like an old married couple.” 

Blushing, Naruto let out a squeak of protest. “Eh? What do you mean? Sasuke and I aren't dating! And even if we were, we wouldn't get married until at least a few years. Well actually maybe sooner than that because if Sasuke were mine I would want to make it official as soon as po-”

“Alright, alright we get it.” Gaara interrupted his rambling. “You sound like a lovesick fool.” While Naruto attempted to splutter out a reply, Gaara rolled his eyes. 

“I'm going to go find Sasuke. Kami knows where he ran off this time.” Skeptical, the redhead raised his eyebrow at Naruto. “I'm assuming I can trust you to keep yourself out of trouble while I'm gone? Or do you need a babysitter to watch over you.”

As Gaara walked out of the hole in the wall he made, he could barely hear an outraged voice screaming something along the lines of, “YOU ASS! GET BACK HERE!” from behind him. 


	26. Chapter 26

Gaara lightly chuckled. He imagined the outgoing blonde was fuming at his words by now. The future Hokage was much too easy to rile up for his own good. 

Pushing thoughts of the loud, flamboyant teen out of his mind, Gaara focused on the task at hand. Taking a deep breath, the redhead calmed himself down, spreading out his chakra in an effort to find Sasuke’s.

To his surprise, the raven’s chakra wasn't concealed at all. Frowning, the Kazekage went on alert, sharpening his senses. Even while sleeping the broody Uchiha would never let his guard down. His chakra was always concealed, no exceptions, except for maybe Naruto, but then again, Naruto always was different. 

Gaara preferred to imagine that despite Sasuke’s betrayal, he knew the Uchiha pretty well by now. In fact, he learned that Sasuke was quite similar to himself in many aspects, however skeptical he was of this fact at first. Therefore, the redhead concluded that there has to be something wrong for Sasuke to completely let loose like this. 

As he increased the range of his chakra, he recognized another chakra signature, one that he had gotten to familiarize himself with over the past few days. Neji’s chakra was spiking, a sign that his heart is beating erratically. 

A sudden feeling of alarm shot through his body and Gaara quickly headed towards the direction where Neji and Sasuke were, doubling his pace when their chakra led him to the forest, the same place Naruto was first attacked. 

Upon approaching the forest, Gaara had made sure to erase all signs of his chakra, compressing it to the point where even Naruto would have trouble locating him.

It was quiet. Too quiet for there to have been a recent attack. Noting that there were no signs of a struggle, Gaara’s posture relaxed somewhat. Still wary of his surroundings, he quietly stepped further into the forest, searching for the two quiet teens. 

After a few minutes of gently probing around, the redhead finally approached the two chakra signatures. Gaara was about to walk up to the two and demand where Sasuke had been, when a certain sight stopped him in his tracks.

The two dark haired teens were leaning against a tree, Sasuke’s head gently resting on the brunette’s shoulder, a gentle expression on his face. To his side was Neji Hyuuga, who didn’t seem to mind the fact that Sasuke was practically laying on him. Quite the opposite, in fact.

Neji was tenderly staring at the boy, gazing upon him adoringly. One of his arms was resting on the ground, steadying himself, while the other was gently caressing the black locks framing the Uchiha’s face. The boy was so absorbed in Sasuke, mesmerized, that he didn't even notice Gaara watching from a distance.

The Hyuuga softly gripped Sasuke's chin, tilting his head up. Hesitantly, he brought his lips to the raven’s, his soft hair that Gaara longed to run his fingers through gently fell to the side of his face, concealing his eyes from view.

That was ok though. Gaara wasn't sure if he wanted to see the expression Neji directed towards Sasuke anymore. So instead he waited until Neji disconnected their lips, and rested his head on Sasuke’s, closing his eyes as well. 

And the bystander was left with a strange feeling in his chest. A feeling that squeezed his heart, and made him feel a strange longing mixed with resentment directed at the couple. If he remembered correctly, Naruto described this feeling as jealousy. 

Gaara frowned at himself. Why was he jealous? He had no reason to feel jealous. After all, he knew from the beginning that Neji was in love with the Uchiha. He knew, and yet, it still pains him to see them together. Pushing the foreign thoughts out of his mind, Gaara cleared his throat, alerting Neji to his presence. 

Startled, the long haired brunette shot his head up, wrapping a protective hand around Sasuke’s waist. Gaara eyed his hand, a bit peeved at the sight. But he didn't show it. 

Straightening his posture, the Kazekage glared at the brunette watching him warily. “Naruto has been attacked. Sasuke was supposed to have been there. Tell him to go check on him when he wakes up. And reprimand him for fighting with him again as well.” Neji opened his mouth to reply, but before he could the Kazekage had already descended into the darkness of the forest. 

Glancing at the sleeping boy on his shoulder, Neji decided that he would wait until Sasuke woke up. After all, he’s pretty sure it's a crime to disturb such a peaceful sight. 

A couple of hours later, Sasuke lifted his lead, drowsily blinking the sleep out of his eyes. The raven let out a small yawn, lazily glancing up at Neji. They sat like that for a few seconds, just gazing at each other, when Sasuke broke the silence.

“Thank you.” Neji frowned. “For what?” Sasuke shrugged, stretching his arms above his head. “You stayed with me. I haven't had a nap like that in a long time.” Sasuke briskly sat up, giving the brunette a small smile. 

And well, no one needs to know how the Hyuuga's heart skipped a beat, or how he had to turn away from Sasuke because he was beginning to blush. But it happened, and as Sasuke turned away from him he let out a small smile, eternally grateful for having someone who could make him feel this way.

“Ah, by the way, Uchiha.” Curious, Sasuke turned his head, giving him a questioning look. “Gaara wanted you to head back to Naruto’s house. Apparently, he was attacked by the Jinchuuriki Killer while you were gone. Check in on him and make sure he's ok.” 

As soon as he mentioned Naruto’s name he saw Sasuke's eyes flash in worry. Giving Neji a grateful nod, the raven quickly headed back to his house, nearly busting down the door in an attempt to get in quicker. 

Standing next to the doorway was another one of the annoying blondes he lived with. “Boruto. Where is Naruto?” Said boy scowled. 

“He was attacked today. I couldn't do anything.” The Uchiha nodded, “Yes I know. Where is he? Is he ok?” 

Narrowing his eyes at Sasuke, Boruto crossed his arms and glared. “Where were you today? I thought you and Naruto were supposed to stick together.” 

The raven didn't reply, and so the younger blonde let out a breath of exasperation. “He's in the bedroom, sleeping. He's exhausted, and having no chakra to call upon isn't making it better.”

Sasuke gave him a short nod, and then headed towards the direction of the ramen lover’s bedroom. One hand on the doorknob, he hesitated, softly calling out to him. “Thank you for taking care of him.” Boruto could barely hear the phrase, but it still brought a soft smile to his face anyways. 

Quietly, Sasuke opened the door and shut it behind him. Turning his gaze, he got an eyeful of Naruto’s bright green frog pajamas. Snickering, the raven made his way over to the messy bed, shaking his head at the snoring blonde. 

Hesitating only for a second, the Uchiha crawled onto the bed, freezing when a slight creak came from the bedframe. Seeing Naruto let out no reaction, he relaxed, gently burrowing into the covers. He laid there for a second, just listening to his breathing. 

Then slowly and carefully, he reached out a hand to the man laying next to him, brushing blond strands of hair out of his face. Smiling, he scooted himself closer to the boy, pulling Naruto into a hug. Burying his nose into Naruto’s soft hair, he took a deep breath, finally allowing himself to relax. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello pups! Im back, and it's been a crazy week. Um, so, this chapter is kinda sad, so uh, sorry for that. Sorta. Don't worry, I promise there will be more fluff in the next chapter!! And also some more angst. Sorry not sorry lol.
> 
> Anyways this story is turning out to be a lot longer than I intended it to be. I honestly only planned on writing about thirty chapters but theres no way thats happening. At this rate I doubt ill be done with the book by August. Oh well, I’m having my fun. HOPE YOU ENJOYED!!!


	27. Chapter 27

A soft  _ thud  _ woke Sasuke from his slumber. Groaning, the raven untangled himself from the blonde in his arms, blinking tiredly at the bright green mess in front of him. Yawning, he sat himself up, lazily sweeping his eyes across the room.

Before he had the chance to fully exit his drowsy state, a whooshing sound did it for him, spurring him into action as a kunai narrowly missed his face. Sasuke immediately activated his sharingan, spotting a black figure near the middle of the room. 

Before the intruder had a chance to move, the Uchiha launched into action, snatching up the kunai hidden under his pillow and heading straight for the enemy’s throat. Taken by surprise, the black figure barely dodged the attack, the kunai carving a shallow line into the edge of their jawline, effectively slicing their mask in two.

Undeterred by the sudden lack of coverage, the other quickly made a counterattack, landing a sharp kick to Sasuke’s guts. Grunting in pain, the Uchiha was thrown to the wall, landing with a crash. He hastily got up again, driven by fury. 

Faster than a blink of an eye, the two were on each other again, blows landing faster and faster, a blur to the untrained eye. All the commotion echoed throughout the Uchiha house, waking both the Uzumaki’s residing there. 

Boruto quickly burst into the room, distracting the enemy for less than a second. That miniscule amount of time was more than enough for Sasuke to advance, landing a hard blow on the intruder’s neck. With a gasp of surprise, the unknown enemy crumpled to the ground, leaving Sasuke heaving for breath and the two blonde’s staring in astonishment. 

The silence was quickly broken by Naruto’s worried voice. “Sasuke, you’re hurt.” Said boy absentmindedly glanced at his arm, where a deep cut was bleeding continuously. “It's just a small scratch Naruto. We have to get this guy to the Hokage immediately.” Upon mentioning the black figure, the raven kicked the limp body, ensuring it wasn't about to get up anytime soon. 

Narrowing his eyes, the older blonde wasn't satisfied with this response. Still, he kept his mouth shut, allowing Sasuke to tie up the mysterious nin. A quick tug on the ropes to certify that they were secure, and the trio was off. 

One glance at the unconscious and tied up figure in their arms, and the guards stationed at the door let them in without so much as a word. When they entered the Hokage’s office, Tsunade was already there, leaning back in a chair with her arms crossed. 

Upon seeing the wounds on Sasuke, Tsunade frowned, glancing down at the guy in his arms. Meeting Tsunade’s gaze head on, the raven firmly spoke. “They attacked us in the middle of the night. Whomever it was, their movements were similar to the nin who jumped Naruto in the forest. It's likely they are the same person.” 

The Hokage didn't say anything, her face remaining impassive. With a slight wave of her hand, two ANBU entered the room, gently taking the tied up enemy from the Uchiha’s hands. As soon as the ANBU exited the room, Tsunade let out a sigh of exasperation. “Good job Sasuke. You should head to the infirmary to get that wound treated. Naruto, go with him and make sure he doesn't skip over his treatment like he did last time.” 

The shinobi nodded, both leaving the room. A forgotten blonde was about to leave with them when a voice called him back. “Boruto. Come here.”

Gulping, Boruto slowly turned around, stationing himself in front of Tsunade’s desk. “Yes ma’am?” For a couple of seconds nothing was said, and the young boy was subject to the Hokage’s scrutinizing gaze. Sweat was now sliding down the blonde’s forehead, the pressure in the room weighing on him.

After what felt like a lifetime, Tsunade spoke up. “You’ve only been here for a couple months, and you haven’t done anything to compromise the fate of the village. I am going to take a wild chance on you and assume that you harbor no ill intentions.”

Slightly confused, Boruto nodded along. The Hokage continued, “ And so I have decided to give you your first mission.” The blonde choked down his surprise, levelly meeting the stare of the dominating woman. “My mission, ma’am?” 

Without taking her gaze off Boruto, Tsunade grabbed a file from one of her drawers and tossed it at Boruto, leaving the teen to catch it himself. Clumsily fumbling with the file, he opened it hastily, eyes skimming over the contents. 

“The information in there is about the concoction that was injected into Naruto’s blood. When Naruto was in the hospital I took a small sample, and had it tested on.” The shinobi nodded along, not looking up from the papers in his hands. 

“There were many ingredients used in the solution, all of which are used for nullifying chakra. That is except for one. Dragon’s scale.” The Hokage shifted in her seat, getting comfortable. 

“Of course, it's not actually made from dragon scales. That’s just the popular name for it. It's really a separate mixture of rare ingredients. Including the poison from an assumed to be extinct creature, the ‘Acinonyx Panthera’, or more commonly known as an Oko Cat. This cat’s venom is known to be deadly, and extremely sickly to even the nine-tailed beasts.”

Boruto nodded thoughtfully, before speaking up. “So if someone were to mix the venom of that cat with a bunch of different chakra nullifying properties...” 

“Then the effect would be a chakra draining sickness, and with the correct skill set, the properties could completely seal off chakra of both the Jinchuuriki and their respective Bijuu. Luckily for us, Naruto’s chakra capacity is already above normal, and coupled with the Kyuubi’s enormous chakra expanse, the Oko venom in Naruto is too busy enhancing the chakra nullifiers to hurt Naruto physically in any way.”

“Why is it called dragon’s scale then?” Tsunade gave him a blank gaze, as if asking what prompted him to ask such a stupid question. Gulping, Boruto looked away from the Hokage’s intense gaze.

“It’s just a rumor. Some people believe that dragons actually did exist a hundred centuries ago. They believe that the Oko Cat is what killed them off. There's no evidence, and it makes no sense in any way. Still, people talk.”

The blonde nodded again, starting to feel like a bobblehead. “So, what exactly is my mission?” At this Tsunade straightened up, resting her head on the back of her hands. 

“We have reason to believe there are a few living Oko Cat’s living a little off the coast of Kumogakure. Killer Bee was the first one killed, so we believe the chakra repressor is being developed in that area. Your job is to find these Oko Cats, and bring at least one back to Konoha. Alive.” 

“Keep in mind that these are an endangered species, and you must be careful in dealing with them. If a single Oko Cat is hurt or lost during this mission I will personally come for your neck. Understood?”

Boruto gulped, barely squeaking out a “Yes ma’am!” Raising an eyebrow, Tsunade continued. “I have already discussed this mission with Kakashi. He and the rest of Team 7 will be aiding you in your quest. This is your one and only chance to prove yourself trustworthy, so do not screw it up. Now get out.”

Boruto hastily rushed out of the room, quickly bowing to the Hokage. Safely in the hall outside the office, Boruto clutched the mission file, grinning widely. With glittering eyes, he let out a laugh so loud, the entire village shook.  _ YES!! My very first mission! Don't screw this one up, Boruto!! _

  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ok guys. I completely made this part up. It is in no way canon, and I doubt the name Acinonyx Panthera is even a real animal. I literally looked up the scientific name of a jaguar and a cheetah and smushed the names together. (You can look it up if you don't believe me :) 
> 
> So yeah, no complaints about ‘Oko Cats’ not existing in the Naruto world. And also no If the story was even the least bit canon before, its entirely veering off course now. BUT I HOPE YOU ENJOY THE NEW ROAD WE’RE TAKING!!! I PROMISE THE STORY WILL BE INTERESTING ANY WAY! Wait actually I should probably let you decide that yourself. Lmao.
> 
> Anyways, YAYA!! Kakashi is finally coming into the picture! I just realized that I havent really included him in this story. Also uh, off topic, but if ‘Acinonyx Panthera’ is actually a thing, could someone tell me what it is?


	28. Chapter 28

Kakashi sighed. “Listen Tsunade-sama. I get why you would want me to aid the kids in finding the Olo Cat, but I’m pretty busy here, and I’m sure they won't need me anyways. Those kids have gotten really strong.” Tsunade raised an eyebrow, unimpressed. “First of all, it’s  _ Oko  _ Cat. And you seem to be under the impression that this was up for debate.”

“This isn't some random C-rank mission to retrieve some animals. It's dangerous, and those so-called ‘kids’ will need your help. At the very least, it's an A-rank mission. I need you to give me continuous reports and keep that Boruto kid on track. I don't trust him, no matter how much Naruto seems to. Besides, I hardly warrant harassing a certain brunette teacher as being ‘busy’, Hatake.”

Deciding to ignore the comment on Iruka, Kakashi frowned under his mask. “If this is an A-rank mission, why would you decide to send a random nin on it? Team 7 may be strong, but we have no idea of this random boy’s abilities. He could be a rogue nin plotting to take Konoha down.”

The Hokage grabbed a bottle of sake from under her desk, pointedly avoiding Kakashi’s skeptical gaze. “Listen, I don't like it either. I don't trust that kid as far I could throw him. However, I have a feeling that he’s somehow connected to this whole situation. I may not like it, but that kid is probably the key to all these sketchy circumstances.”

“Hokage-sama, I think you’re underestimating your strength. Do you remember that time you threw Naruto over 5 miles into the forest because he stole your sak-”

Tsunade threw a stack of papers at him, effectively cutting him off. “You damn brat, I know my strength. It's a figure of speech.” Kakashi huffed, turning his gaze upwards. This was going to be a troublesome mission. 

~°~

The sun was shining bright, the grass glowing a brilliant color beneath it. The birds were chirping, and the cool breeze was gently caressing a content tan face. Boruto grinned. Today really was a beautiful day. Currently, he was sitting criss-cross in a small patch of grass, waiting for the rest of his team members to show up.

Boruto still couldn't believe it. Back at home, no matter how much he begged, his father refused to let him take on a mission that went outside of the village. And now, just a couple of months after he arrived in the past, he was being sent on a real mission, with super powerful shinobi! 

A light kick to his shoulder brought him out of his thoughts. Turning his head, he gazed straight into eyes shaped like black orbs. Startled, the blonde leaned back, blinking at Sasuke. Said raven scowled at him. “Kakashi never told us you would be coming with us.”

“A-ah. Well to be fair I didn't think the hokage would let me come along either.” Nervously, Boruto scratched the back of his head, sheepishly keeping his eyes on the floor. 

“Neh, Sasuke-kun, don't pick on him. I'm sure there's a reason Tsunade put him on this mission with us.” A pink haired girl came out of the shadows, smiling at him. Scoffing, the Uchiha looked away, opting to sit down next to a tree. Shocked, the blonde watched as Sasuke lazily closed his eyes.

“Eh? He's just going to go to sleep like that? What about the mission?” Sakura gave the blonde a blank gaze. “Sasuke doesn't sleep around strangers. He's just resting. Besides, it’ll probably be another good couple of hours before Kakashi-sensei arrives anyway.”

Boruto blanched. “A couple of hours?! But the meeting time was an hour ago!” Giggling, Sakura patted his head, as if he were a child. “You’ll have to get used to it. Kakashi-sensei is never on time. Us students of his have learned not to arrive at the designated meeting area until at least an hour after the set time.”

Confused, Boruto just shook his head. “Hours… What kind of a sensei did you guys have?” Grinning, Sakura poked the blonde's cheek, before heading over to Sasuke. 

Nervous, she gave the raven a soft smile. “Hey Sasuke. I wanted to talk to you for a second.” Sasuke opened one eye, prepared to reject her when he saw the serious expression on her face. Hesitantly, he gave a slight nod, standing up and motioning for her to follow him. 

In the safe coverage of the forest, Sakura checked their surroundings, making sure neither Boruto or anyone else was listening in. Once the coast was clear, she turned back towards Sasuke, taking in a deep breath.

“I would like to talk to you… about the reason I broke up with you.” Sasuke showed no other reaction than raising a slim eyebrow, urging her to go on. Unable to meet the raven’s eyes, the girl averted her gaze, staring intently at the tree behind him.

“Listen Sasuke, I know you don't love me. And I know that the reason you were dating me was so you could revive your clan. I knew that and let you use me anyways. I feel like I was so blinded by my parents' hopes for my life and all the expectations pushed upon me that I didn't realize I didn't love you either. At least, not in a way a wife is supposed to love her husband.”

“Sasuke, you are my dear friend, and practically a brother to me at this point. But a relationship between us could only end in disaster. And, especially if we were to have a child like you desire, we would both be trapped in an unhappy marriage for the rest of our lives. Someone helped me realize that I should carve out my own path instead of going the familiar route, especially if that route will hurt people I care about.”

The pinkette took another breath, having finished her monologue. Skittishly, the girl forced herself to look up into Sasuke's eyes, disappointed when he showed no emotion.  _ Well, it’s not like I expected him to care anyways.  _

Pushing down her disappointment, Sakura turned around to leave. Before she could, a strong arm gripped her shoulders, turning her around and pulling her into a deep hug. “I’m sorry.” The deep voice sounded broken, and Sakura was once again reminded of what she had learned during all those years of pain. 

Sasuke was nothing more than a human, just like her and Naruto. And no matter how much he's been hurt, and how much he's been hardened from war, he still cares for them. Comforted by the reminder, Sakura hugged back, tightly clinging onto the boy she once thought she loved.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> :p


	29. Chapter 29

Naruto approached the small clearing near the trees. Upon arriving, he spotted Boruto leaning on a tree, thoughtfully staring in an oddly specific direction. The younger blonde seemed to be unaware of the older approaching, too focused on a certain point on the horizon. Throwing Boruto a questioning glance, Naruto gently tapped his shoulder. 

Boruto startled, turning to meet Naruto's gaze. Spotting a pair of ocean blue eyes identical to his own, Boruto visibly relaxed. “Hey Naruto.” Openly curious, Naruto grinned. “What were you looking at?” 

“Oh…” Boruto turned back to the direction Sakura and Sasuke had wandered off to. “Well, Sakura and Sasuke wanted to talk about something, so they left. I was just wondering what they were talking about.” 

Naruto inhaled sharply.  _ Sasuke and Sakura are talking? Alone?  _ Forcing himself to calm down, the blonde took a deep breath. “Ah. Well I'm sure it's nothing. Besides, Kakashi-sensei should be here soon.” 

No sooner than he had finished his sentence, a familiar head of silver hair  _ poofed  _ into existence in front of the two. “Maa, maa, sorry I’m late. I got lost-”

“Lost on the road of life. Yea yea Kakashi, I know. We’ve heard it a million times.” Naruto huffed. Not one to be one upped, the Copy-Nin gave his student a closed eye smile. “Actually, I was going to say I got lost chasing a certain stubborn dolphin.”

That got Naruto’s attention. Suspicious, he glared at Kakashi, eyes narrowed. “That better not mean what you implied it to mean.” Not responding, Kakashi held his smile, lazily glancing around. Noticing this, Naruto let out a huff of annoyance. “Sasuke and Sakura snuck off to have some  _ alone time. _ ”

On cue, the remaining two team members emerged from out of the trees, Sakura frantically wiping away at her red eyes. Concerned, Naruto asked her what was wrong, but she waved him off with a laugh. “Sorry we’re late, Sasuke and I had a little talk. We can get going now.” 

Not convinced, Naruto shot a glare at Sasuke. Furiously whispering, he hissed at Sasuke. “What did you say to her?” Annoyed at Naruto’s accusing tone, Sasuke scoffed. “I didn't  _ say _ anything dobe. She did most of the talking. Besides, I hardly see how it's any of your business.”

The blonde was ticked off. Sure Sasuke may be the boy he’s loved for who  _ knows _ how long, but he was still a bastard and Naruto would absolutely  _ destroy  _ him if he hurt Sakura again. But Sakura didn't seem sad, or upset. Naruto noted, glancing over in Sakura’s direction.

The pinkette was scolding their sensei for being late, and she didn't seem upset at all. Rather, she seemed relieved, as if a huge weight had been lifted from her chest. ANd that observation was the only thing keeping Naruto from kicking the bastard’s ass. 

During all the commotion, Boruto just stood there, looking uncomfortable. In an attempt to break the tense silence between the two boys, he cleared his throat and spoke up. “Um, shouldn’t we be heading out about now?” All four heads whipped towards him, seemingly forgotten that he was assigned to the mission as well. 

“Oh! Right! We should get going. Thanks for reminding me Boruto!” Sakura grinned, flicking the younger blonde on the head. With a determined glint in her eye, she yelled out, voice carrying through the small clearing they were in. “Alright, is everyone ready? Let’s head out!!” 

The four others nodded, and Sakura beamed. After the pinkette made sure they had all their necessities, and after Naruto got yelled at for bringing only cup ramen again, the team was off. Within moments all five of them were exiting the village entrance and entering the outside world. 

~°~

Team 7 was trudging through the forest surrounding Konoha. Sasuke and Sakura were walking in front of the group, with Naruto following behind them in the shape of a triangle. Near the back, Kakashi and Boruto were standing next to each other, about a yard apart. 

The journey was long, and quiet. The only sounds that could be heard were the soft thudding of feet on the rocky dirt path and the soft whistling of the wind as it blew through the trees. Boruto was walking pretty slowly, slightly lagging behind the rest of the group. 

The blonde was nervous. It was his first mission outside of the leaf, since his dad had been overly protective of him back in his timeline. What if he messed up? What if he slowed the rest of the group down? Boruto’s nerves were graining down on him, and he became fidgety as he grew more and more anxious.

The erratic movements did not go unnoticed by Kakashi, who had his nose buried in his book. A quick glance told him the boy was nervous, likely not used to these sort of missions. Either that or the lack of talking that made him nervous. He seemed to be similar to Naruto in that aspect. 

Pretending to be uninterested in the young teen, Kakashi flipped a page, not even glancing at its contents. Out of the side of his eye, he watched the younger blonde, doubtingly studying him.  _ So this is the newbie Tsunade wanted me to keep an eye on. Boruto, huh?  _

The silver haired shinobi looked him up and down, analyzing his chakra and appearance.  _ Interesting, though he doesn't look like much, he has nearly as much chakra capacity as Naruto, much more than the average shinobi. However, he doesn't seem like he could control it if needed. _

Finishing his examination of this stranger nin, Kakashi returned his attention to his book, flipping forward a few pages.  _ Well, he doesn't look like a threat. He seems to be at about the average level of a chunin.  _ Skimming over the paragraphs on the page, the Copy-Nin came to a conclusion. 

_ Whoever this Boruto kid is, he’s not strong enough to be a threat. However, only time will uncover his true intentions.  _ Satisfied, Kakashi gave his full attention to the novel in his hands.  _ Ooo, this is my favorite part. _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alright, so the journey to the Oko Cats has officially begun!! The Oko Cat mission is more or less the last part of the book, and so once the mission is finished, you can count on the book wrapping up fairly quickly!
> 
> And you’re welcome for updating twice! I just had too many ideas in my mind to be satisfied with just one chapter this week. Alright, bye my pups!! Hope you enjoy the journey to the end!!!
> 
> If I upload again tomorrow, do me a favor and not mention my strange increase of time. All my friends have been ignoring me due to the pandemic and my workload has been suspiciously decreased. I'm scared the apocalypse is coming.


	30. Chapter 30

Boruto groaned, banging his head on a tree next to him. It was his very first mission, and he was already screwing it up. 

  
Sakura walked up to him, handing him a flask of water. Sighing, she gently patted him on the back. “Honestly, I don't know what you were expecting. A mission is usually time consuming and tiring. Have you really not been on one before?” 

Boruto choked out a laugh, muttering, “Not for lack of trying, for sure.” The pinkette wasn't sure what he meant by that, and so she just stayed silent, awkwardly taking the flask back after the blonde took a swig.

Giving up on attempting to bash his own skull in, the younger boy glanced over at his dad, who was currently struggling to set up a tent. “Seriously dobe? 18 and you still can't set up a decent tent? What exactly have you been up to all these years?” 

And of course, the couple was having a lover’s spat once again. Boruto noticed that they tended to argue a lot about pointless things. “EH? Teme! For your information, I was saving your sorry butt from an old pervert! Besides, it's harder than it looks.” Naruto whined. 

Rolling his eyes, the brunette shoved at Naruto’s shoulder. “Scoot over dobe. Ill set up the stupid tent.” Pouting, the teen complied, taking a step back and watching as Sasuke got to work. Within a matter of seconds, the tent was set up, much to Naruto’s relief. 

“Ah finally! Say, where did Kakashi-sensei go?” The older blonde inquired, flipping his head from side to side. Sakura shrugged, sitting next to her tent holding a small apple in her hand. “He probably went off to find some food.” 

“Yes, yes. Hello students! Did you miss me?” A white haired shinobi emerged from out of the trees, holding a small basket of fruit. Grinning, Naruto’s eyes sparkled. “Is that for us?” Kakashi merely gave him a closed eye smile before lifting the basket up out of his reach. 

“Nope!” He said cheerfully. “But you can get some yourself. There are some fruit trees a couple of meters to the North.” Upon hearing his words, Naruto clenched his hands, visibly ticked off. “OI! What's the point of waving all that food in our face if you aren't gonna share any?” Scowling, Naruto waved his fist at his former sensei.

“Honestly I'm not even sure why you are surprised at this point.” A mildly annoyed Sasuke emerged from out of the tent, having just finished setting up the sleeping bags. The albino feigned hurt, bringing his hand up to his heart. “Why Sasuke, my beloved student, I am hurt you think of me this way!”

Scoffing, Naruto turned away from Kakashi, snatching up his backpack. “Well, good thing I brought ramen then!” Sasuke tched loudly, muttering, “Why do I even bother with these idiots?” Boruto stood in the middle of the small clearing, not sure what to do. It was obvious Team 7 had their own sort of dynamic, and they didn't need him at all. Still, he wanted to make himself useful somehow. 

Turning to Kakashi, he treaded carefully, asking, “I-Is there um, anything I can do to help?” Kakashi just gave him that one eyed stare, face not betraying any of his emotions. With a terrified gulp, Boruto reminded himself that this Kakashi didn't know him, and as such was likely suspicious of him.

Said man just gave him that same blank gaze, before lazily turning back to his book. Embarrassed, Boruto looked towards the ground. “You can go make sure Sasuke doesn't kill Naruto.” The blondes head snapped towards the older, his mouth hanging open slightly.

Coming to his senses, the boy smiled sheepishly. “How would I do that?” Kakashi shrugged. “Hell if I know. I’ve tried and failed too many times to bother attempting.” 

“Er, ok.” Boruto warily looked at the two teens, currently bickering over who gets the last fruit in Sasuke’s hand. “I swear to  _ Kami  _ dobe, I picked these myself, you can go get your own.” Naruto pouted. “Oh come on teme! I'm hungry, can you spare one measly apple for your  _ best friend? _ ”

Slightly terrified for his life (nothing good ever came out of getting between Naruto and Sasuke), Boruto hesitantly walked forward, staring at Sasuke with a terrified look. Noticing him, the raven’s eyes narrowed, before widening in shock as Naruto snatched the last apple from his hand. 

Outraged, the Uchiha growled, before taking off after the loud blonde. A small bead of sweat dripped down Boruto’s forehead. He had a suspicious inkling that his assigned job just got a hell  of a lot harder. 

~°~

The moon left a soft glow on the outline of a tall tree, a young blonde perched on top of it, watchful eyes darting back and forth. Beneath him, a looming figure leaned on the side of the tree, glancing between Boruto and the tent next to him with tired eyes. 

Deciding that Boruto was less of a threat than sharing a tent with Naruto, he pressed the sole of his shoe to the tree, gathering chakra and steadily walking up. Upon approaching Boruto, the raven hastily climbed atop the branch he was balancing on, plopping down next to the younger.

“Uh, hi.” Sasuke gave him a slight nod, acknowledging his greeting before turning away, looking over the forest they were in. Choosing to not interrupt the silence, Boruto complied, following Sasuke’s gaze to the starry night. 

A couple moments passed by with nothing but the steady sound of the wind, whistling past the trees. “I’m assuming that by now, both you and Naruto are aware of my…  _ feelings  _ for him.” Surprised the broody young man was the one who interrupted the silence, Boruto let in a sharp intake of breath. 

“Well, not really. I mean, I told dad that you loved him but I'm not sure he completely believes it. You know how thick his head can be at times.” Taken aback, Sasuke’s coal black eyes widened perceptibly, before glossing over in a blank gaze. 

_ Come to think of it, back then, in the bedroom…  _ Sasuke narrowed his gaze, whipping his head towards the blonde next to him with piercing eyes. “Why do you keep referring to Naruto as your father?”

“...Oh.” Boruto’s mind whirred, trying to come up with an excuse with his strange behavior, but all he managed to do was reprimand himself over and over again.  _ Shit, shit, shit. Great going Boruto, the one thing you weren't supposed to do, you managed to do.  _

The blonde looked over at Sasuke with an exasperated gaze.  _ Should I give him the potion that Kurama gave me? But I’m sure if I do he’ll get mad at me. Then he’ll be even more distant from Naruto and I, and I can't let that happen.  _ Groaning, the younger blonde dropped his head into his hands.

“I haven't got all night you know.” Sasuke grunted out, mildly annoyed at his reaction. In reality, Sasuke was silently hoping Boruto would take longer to answer, so he would have an excuse to stay out and away from the other blonde of whom he is very much in love with. 

But that didn't mean he wasn't curious. He did want to know what was up with this stranger that they met less than a year ago calling Naruto ‘father’. Besides, it was most likely just a subconscious decision caused by him being closest to Naruto after waking up with no memories or recollection of his life.

Yet as the silence stretched on, and the blonde next to him seemed more and more anxious, Sasuke began to doubt. What exactly, was this newcomer hiding from them, and does he need to dispose of his before he hurts the rest of his team?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ya, know, I'm starting to wonder how many people are actually reading these chapters. Do you guys enjoy the story? Do you like the way it's headed? Should I try to steer it back to canon? Cmon, gimme some feedback!


	31. Chapter 31

Boruto looked away from Sasuke’s stare. “Hey, Uncle Sasuke?” Frowning, Sasuke kept a wary gaze on the blonde. “I’m not your uncle.” Ignoring the raven’s deadpan, Boruto continued. “Have you ever heard of time travel?” 

_ … What?  _ All at once, everything clicked into place. Boruto showing up out of nowhere, with no memories, Boruto calling Naruto his father, the two shinobi being the only ones in the village with blonde hair. All the pieces of the puzzle fell into place. Yet… Sasuke couldn't bring himself to believe it. 

“You- are you?” He barely managed to choke out. The younger blonde did nothing but grin sheepishly. “It was pointless trying to hide it from you. I know you probably already had a bunch of suspicions about me.” 

_ Yes, but nothing concerning time travel.  _ Sasuke wanted to say. Instead, he looked to the stars, taking a deep breath. “Well. That’s that.” Boruto nodded, letting out a dry laugh. “Yea, that's that.”

But if Boruto came back from the future… “Why are you here?” He turned to the boy who was apparently  _ Naruto’s son.  _ “Did something happen? Is the world at war again? Is Naruto dead? Why would you go through the lengths of…” 

The couple fell silent. The faint chirping of crickets could be heard ringing through the sound of the night. “Noone was in danger. Everyone was happy, for the most part. I just… I was being selfish.” Sasuke let a grim gaze sneak onto his face. “Go on.”

“I- I just wanted a perfect family. But dad was always gone, and mom could barely take care of us by herself, and I can  _ see _ the way she looks at the picture of him on the nightstand. Like some sort of sad longing, as if she’s lost him. And in a way, I guess she has.” 

Stray tears slowly slid down Boruto's cheek. Ignoring them, the boy continued, voice cracking. “Himawari, that's my sister by the way, she cries herself to sleep at night. Dad and I get into screaming fits and I miss him  _ so much  _ but he's never home, and I just got tired of it and so I flipped.” 

He took a shaky breath, concluding, “And then Kurama, he showed me another way out, where I could change something, where I could make a difference. And I took it. I took the chance and now I’m regretting it because what if I screw up? What if I erase my friends out of existence, what if I erase  _ myself  _ out of existence?” 

“Oh kami.” Outright sobbing now, Boruto made a futile attempt at wiping at his tears. “I’m so sorry Sasuke. I just, I can't-... Maybe I wasn't the best person for this job.” The boy looked to his left, not sure what hell see. Sasuke’s face was unreadable, like always, but this time there was a tint of softness to his gaze.

“What’ll happen? When you go back? You can't stay in the past forever, right?” He shrugged. “I dont know. I think I’ll probably still exist. As long as either mom or dad decide to have a kid, Kurama says I’ll be born. My name might change, and I might look different, but I’ll still exist.”

The raven nodded. “Ok.” “...Just ok?” Sasuke gave him a blank stare. “What did you expect me to say?” 

“I dunno, that I am crazy? That I’m a spoiled brat? Maybe beat me up some more?” The other boy frowned. “Why would I call you a spoiled brat?” The blonde swung his legs around, eyes glued to the floor. “Future you called me one.” 

That eased a short, breathy laugh from the Uchiha. “Well if I said it you probably deserved it.” Boruto snorted. “I really did, didn't I?” A comfortable silence settled between them. Sasuke seemed to be lost in his own thoughts, eyes hesitantly flickering between the blonde next to him and the branch they were on.

“You can ask you know. I don’t mind.” Ashamed at getting caught, the raven turned away. Faintly blushing, he asked in a quiet voice, “Did he love her?” Boruto nodded. “Yea. Of course he did.” 

“...Oh.” 

“But I dont think he’ll love anyone the same way he does you.” Sasuke's head shot up, and a rosy blush coated his cheeks. “Oh.” Chuckling, Boruto glanced at him. “You know, I used to wish you were my father.” 

“I dunno why, you just seemed really cool. I looked up to you a lot. But you were rarely in the village. Always leaving to be on missions. It drove dad crazy.” 

When Boruto looked at him, he averted his gaze. The Uchiha felt a warm feeling pooling in his chest. “You, looked up to me?” “Yea.” 

“Oh.” Silence fell between them once more, before being interrupted by the younger. “You know, you should take a chance on dad. I don't really know what's holding you back, but I don't think you wanna wait until he gets taken away by a girl like mom again.” 

“Yea, thanks. I'm going to, uh, yea.” Boruto nodded, “Alright. I still have a couple of hours left on my shift. Thanks for, ya know, believing me.” 

Sasuke hopped down from the branch, neatly landing on his feet. “Its nothing. But uh, dont think that I trust you just yet.” He threw a smirk up at Boruto before heading towards Naruto and his tent. 

Boruto watched his retreating figure in awe. “Sasuke-san really is so cool.”

~°~

Sasuke quietly stepped inside the tent, carefully zipping it up behind him. He turned around, fully prepared to go to sleep and put this day behind him. As softly as he could, he stepped over Naruto’s sleeping form and headed over to his own sleeping bag, still neatly folded on the ground.

Before he could fully set up his bed, a groggy whisper interrupted his thoughts. “Hey Sasuke. Where were you?” Startled, the raven nearly jumped out of his skin. “Dont worry about it dobe. Go back to sleep.” 

He heard a light rustling of the sheets, and then silence. “What did you talk to Boruto about?” Naruto’s voice was closer now, having sat up moments before. With a tired sigh, the Uchiha turned around to look at him, taking in his features. 

“None of your business. Go back to sleep.” Frowning, the blonde finally gave in. “Fine. Ill drop it.” But he didnt move an inch. The longer the two sat in silence, staring at each other, the louder Boruto’s words rang inside his head. 

_ ‘You know, you should take a chance…’ ‘What’s holding you back?’ _

What was holding him back? Sighing, Sasuke ignored the tiny voice in his head, turning around and shuffling into his sleeping bag. He’ll think about it tomorrow. More silence ensued. 

“...”

“Screw it.” The raven threw his covers to the side, stomping over to Naruto. With a relieved sigh, he grabbed his face, bringing their lips together. Naruto grunted, shocked at Sasuke’s actions. Before the Uchiha could pull back though, the blonde relaxed into the kiss, returning it with just as much eagerness. 

Smiling, Sasuke lightly nipped at Naruto’s tongue before pulling back. Said blonde was blinking around in a daze. The raven gave him a light peck, searching the ocean eyes for any sign of rejection.

Having snapped out of his daze, the blonde gaped at Sasuke. “You-... Does this mean you’ll be mine?” His eyes widened for a split second before relaxing into his usual stoic expression.

Without answering, he promptly got up and returned to his own sleeping bag, pulling the covers over him as if nothing had happened. “Oi, bastard!” 

Sure enough, three seconds later, Sasuke felt familiar arms snake around his waist. A grinning voice spoke into his ear. “You know I’m never going to let you go now right?” Sasuke failed to keep the smile off his face as he murmured a light, “Hn.”

  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ok, so first of all, FREAKING FINALLY AM I RIGHT??? Looks like Boruto finally managed to push these two stubborn idiots together. And second of all. Im pretty sure that ninja dont set up a whole campsite when on a mission, but for this particular stop they will because 
> 
> 1\. I like to give our boys a lil pRivAcy
> 
> 2\. Im the author and I have never gone camping before so I wrote it in because why not?


	32. Chapter 32

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! Um, before we start, I sort of changed the name of the ‘Oko Cats’ They are now referred to as Okari. Kk you can start reading now!~~

Naruto groaned, shifting onto his back. He slowly blinked his eyes, gazing at the top of the tent as he came to. While waiting for his mind to fully wake up, the blonde lazily ran through what happened in his dream last night. 

He grinned as he thought about holding Sasuke in his arms. Caught up in his thoughts, Naruto absentmindedly turned to his side, snuggling into the warm body next to him.  _ Wait what? _

Eyes snapping open, the boy bolted out of the sleeping bag, mouth agape staring at a head of raven hair. “It wasn't a dream?” Groaning, the body in the sleeping bag turned around, shooting the blonde a glare. “No, dobe, it wasn't a damn dream. Now shut up, you're way too loud in the morning.”

Sasuke sat up, bringing a hand to his hair in an attempt to tame it. Bewildered, the blonde hesitantly raised his arm to Sasuke’s face, gently pressing his fingers to his lips. The raven glanced at him before asking in a mildly annoyed tone, “What the fuck are you doing?”

Seemingly not hearing Sasuke’s protest, Naruto leaned in until their noses were inches apart. “It wasn't a dream? Truly? You’re mine now?” The Uchiha rolled his eyes. “Yes, how many times do I need to tell- mmph!” 

Naruto cut him off, covering his lips with his own. Pulling back, he let out a breathy laugh before pressing forward, again, and again, just to confirm it. That Sasuke was really his. 

“Freaking finally.” Two pairs of eyes shot over to the entrance of the tent. A smiling Sakura stood with her hands on her hips, looking down at the couple. Behind her, Boruto’s face was painted a bright red, having witnessed an intimate moment between the two. 

Sakura sighed. “I swear to god you two are insufferable. Wrap up your love fest and come outside, we gotta go.” Naruto watched as they left, before immediately turning back to Sasuke. Unfortunately, before he could kiss the raven again, Sasuke brought his hand up to the loud blonde’s mouth.

“No. You heard her, we have to get going.” Naruto groaned. “Ugh, why’d we have to get together during a mission? Now I don't have any time to cuddle you.” Rolling his eyes again, Sasuke went outside, beginning to pack up the tent and its belongings. 

Naruto hastily followed, whining about having to wake up so early in the morning. 

~°~

Boruto absentmindedly twirled his kunai around. Sighing, he watched as it went round and round his finger, mildly fascinated by the way it spun. He was so freaking bored. The team has been walking for nearly 24 hours without a break, and he wasn't used to long hours of silence.

Boruto glanced at the other team members walking beside him. Up in front, Kakashi had his nose buried in a book, as usual. Next to him, Sakura seemed to be lost in thought, walking as if she were a zombie. 

And finally behind him. Naruto was chattering away, and Sasuke not so subtly trying to tell him to shut up. Sighing again, Boruto could do nothing but walk. He let his thoughts drift to his past life. He wondered if his teammates were ok, and if they would be ok when he returns to the future. 

“We’re here.” A familiar lazy drawl brought him back to the present. “Eh? Already?” Sasuke pointedly looked at Boruto, shutting him up. “What's the mission brief Kakashi?” The silver haired nin brought his hand up to his chin before speaking up again.

“I'm sure you’ve sensed it Sasuke. There are others here. I want all of you to tread carefully, they might be dangerous.” He turned around so he was facing them all at once. “Sakura and Naruto. You two will be in charge of capturing as many Okaris as possible. If you have to resort to violence, then try your best to heal them after capturing them, understood?” 

The two nodded before setting off towards the East. “Sasuke. You and I are going to confront the nin who are here. Our job is to make sure they don't interfere with Naruto and Sakura’s job, as well as get more information on this whole ordeal.”

Sasuke gave a firm nod. Finally, Kakashi turned to Boruto. “And you. Hm.” Boruto giddily looked up at him. The silver haired nin gave the blonde a huge smile before speaking. “You can map out the area.”

And just like that, all Boruto’s dreams were crushed. “Eh?” Seemingly not noticing the Uzumaki’s peril, Kakashi continued. “Make sure to search every cave and mark the places you find Okari cats. In case Naruto and Sakura fail, you’ll be our backup plan.” 

“Oh. Er, ok then.” Kakashi turned around, giving Sasuke a nod, and the two of them headed towards the foreign chakra signatures. Boruto stood there, feeling dejected. “Well I guess I better get to work.” He muttered to himself.

Kakashi and Sasuke ran across the grass and leaves, feet delicately hitting the ground without so much as a thud. As the opposing team’s chakra became more and more prominent, the two exerted more and more caution, careful as to not alert the others.

The silver haired nin shot a couple of hand signs at the raven, telling him to observe from above. Immediately understanding, Sasuke swiftly jumped up to a thick tree.  _ Plenty of branches. I’ll be able to spy without drawing attention here. _

As soon as Sasuke was situated, the copy nin revealed himself to the strangers, taking out his book and beaming his brightest smile. Almost instantly upon seeing him, one of the opponents launched multiple senbon at him, while another charged him, knocking him back against a tree. 

A sleek kunai was pressed against his neck, just barely close enough to draw a light trickle of blood. The third person stood behind the others, silently watching the situation unfold. All three of them were wearing black cloaks and masks, with thick leather gloves on their hands. 

Unfazed, Kakashi merely smiled. “Maa, maa. Is that any way to treat a guest?”


End file.
